“This column is dedicated to the 5 million first-time voters—who have taken the responsibility of shaping the future into their hands.”

February 12, 2026, has emerged as a defining moment in Bangladesh’s political journey. Fifty-five years after independence, the nation stands once again at a decisive crossroads. This is not merely another parliamentary election; after years of unrest, boycotts, sanctions, and one-party dominance, it is a renewed chance for citizens to choose a different path.

The most striking feature of this election is the absence of the Awami League from the ballot. For the first time in decades, the political field has opened to a new configuration—one where the principal contest is now between the BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat‑e‑Islami. Whichever party ultimately forms the government, one sentiment is unmistakably clear: the public wants peace, not confrontation.

Bangladesh’s elections have always carried the weight of memory—of wounds, hopes, and fears. The 2026 election is no exception. If anything, it bears the heaviest historical burden since independence.

The state born in 1971 soon drifted away from its democratic aspirations. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founding leader, moved toward one-party rule. The brutal assassination of 1975 shattered not only a family but the entire state. What followed was a long era of military intervention—first Ziaur Rahman, then Ershad—reducing democracy to a distant ideal.

The 1990 mass uprising revived hope, restoring parliamentary democracy in 1991 with Khaleda Zia as prime minister. Over the next two decades, power alternated between the BNP and the Awami League—Hasina in 1996, Khaleda in 2001, Hasina again in 2009.

Yet one pattern remained unchanged: the politics of vengeance. Every government wielded state institutions as partisan tools. The opposition was treated not as a democratic counterpart but as an adversary of the state.

The Awami League’s landslide victory in 2008 ushered in a new era. Economic growth accelerated, infrastructure expanded—but political space narrowed. The BNP boycotted the 2014 election; the 2018 results were widely questioned; the 2024 election was held again without major opposition participation. After fifteen uninterrupted years in power, the Awami League built a deeply entrenched state structure—one that ultimately collapsed during the 2024 youth uprising.

Against this backdrop comes the February 12 election. With the Awami League absent, the electoral landscape has been fundamentally reshaped. Two forces now stand at the forefront: the BNP and Jamaat‑e‑Islami. After years in the political wilderness, both parties now face a real prospect of governing.

But the public does not want history to repeat itself.

Bangladesh is now home to more than 170 million people, a large portion of them young. Many are first-time voters. They have not witnessed the old cycles of political revenge; they have lived through uncertainty, unemployment, rising costs, and anxiety about the future. Their expectations are practical, not ideological—safety, opportunity, fairness.

The economy has grown over the past decade, but so has inequality and pressure. Growth has slowed, daily expenses have risen, and trust in politics has eroded. People have seen governments change, yet their own struggles remain unchanged. From this fatigue has emerged a simple demand: stability.

If the BNP or Jamaat‑e‑Islami forms the next government, public expectations will converge around a few core priorities:

1. Peace and security.
   The country must move beyond the culture of political revenge, repression, and mass arrests. People want quiet streets, safe markets, and workplaces free from fear.
2. Justice and the rule of law.
   Power must no longer be treated as a license to bend the law. Accepting dissent as part of democracy—not as an enemy—will be a defining test.
3. Economic relief.
   Jobs, inflation control, and easing the burden on small businesses and the middle class are now more urgent than political rhetoric. Young voters want results.
4. Strong democratic institutions.
   The Election Commission, judiciary, and administration must be freed from partisan influence. Without rebuilding weakened institutions, long‑term stability is impossible.

Above all, a politics of tolerance is essential. Bangladesh has repeatedly seen one party in power pushing the other out of the political arena. Unless this cycle is broken, any government will remain trapped in crisis.

The February 12 election will not simply reveal who wins. It will show whether new leadership can break old habits—or whether those habits return with power.

Winning power is easy; earning trust is hard. Keeping that trust is even harder. The people are not asking for much. They want to live in peace, speak with dignity, and face the future without fear.

Whichever party forms the next government, these simple expectations will be its greatest test. Because in the end, history does not remember vote counts—it remembers whom the people trusted.

Writer: Editor, Columnist

London, 9 February 2026