Bangladesh election favourite vows to return from exile for historic vote

Bangla Press Desk: Tarique Rahman will return to Bangladesh from nearly 20 years in exile to contest nation’s first election after July Revolution and the fall of Sheikh Hasina government last year.

Mr Rahman, 59, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is acting chairman, and de facto leader, of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, one of the South Asian nation’s two main parties.

The party is tipped to win the parliamentary election due in February 2026.

“The time has come, God willing, I’ll return soon. Maybe due to some personal reasons, the return has not happened yet. But I think the time has come,” Mr Rahman told BBC Bangla.

"This is an election for which people had been waiting, I cannot keep myself away during this time."

The 2026 election is seen as one of the most consequential for the country. It’s being overseen by an interim government which took after mass street protests ousted Ms Hasina last year, ending her 15-year rule and forcing her to flee to neighbouring India.

The agitation and the government crackdown on it left nearly 1,400 people dead.

Ms Hasina’s ousting created a power vacuum that was quickly filled by a caretaker government led by the former leader’s critic and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The 84-year-old banned Ms Hasina’s Awami League from taking part in any political activity as the ousted leader was tried in absentia in Dhaka.

The 2026 election is seen as one of the most consequential for the country. It’s being overseen by an interim government which took after mass street protests ousted Ms Hasina last year, ending her 15-year rule and forcing her to flee to neighbouring India.

The agitation and the government crackdown on it left nearly 1,400 people dead.

Ms Hasina’s ousting created a power vacuum that was quickly filled by a caretaker government led by the former leader’s critic and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The 84-year-old banned Ms Hasina’s Awami League from taking part in any political activity as the ousted leader was tried in absentia in Dhaka.

"She went to jail in good health and returned with ailments, she was deprived of her right to proper treatment," he said. "But... if her health permits, she will definitely contribute to the election."

BP/SP