Just over two years ago, when Sheikh Hasina won an election widely condemned as rigged in her favour, it was hard to imagine her 15-year grip on power being broken so suddenly, or that a rival party that had been virtually written off would make such a resounding comeback. But in the cycle of Bangladeshi politics, this is one more flip-flop between Hasina's Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which have alternated holding power for decades.
Except this is the first time that new BNP leader Tarique Rahman is formally leading the party - and the first time he's contested an election. His mother Khaleda Zia, who died of an illness late last year, was the party's head for four decades. She took over after his father, Ziaur Rahman, the BNP founder and a key leader of Bangladesh's war for independence, was assassinated.
Accused of benefitting from nepotism when his mother was in power, Tarique Rahman has also faced allegations of corruption. Five days before his mother died, he returned to Bangladesh after 17 years of self-imposed exile in London. While Rahman, 60, has occasionally acted as the de-facto chair of an emaciated BNP when his mother was jailed and recently ill, he's largely seen as an untested leader.
'That he doesn't have prior experience probably works for him, because people are willing to give change a chance, says political scientist Navine Murshid. 'They want to think that new, good things are actually possible. So there is a lot of hope.'
The party's first priority is to bring democracy back to Bangladesh. 'All the democratic institutions [and] financial institutions, which have been destroyed over the last decade, we have to first put those back in order,' senior BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury told the BBC.
Bangladesh has a long history of such promises being made and broken, with parties becoming increasingly authoritarian once they come to power. But this time, the country's young, who came out in the 'July uprising' of 2024 that ousted Hasina, appear less tolerant of accepting more of the same.
'We don't want to fight again,' says Tazin Ahmed, a 19-year-old who participated in the uprising. 'When our country runs smoothly without any corruption, and the economy becomes good, that will be our main victory.'
Since Hasina was ousted, violence has marred the tenure of Bangladesh's interim leader Mohammad Yunus. Getting a grip on law and order will need to be key for the new government. Reviving the economy, reducing food prices, and creating jobs for Bangladesh's large young population are other massive challenges.
The BNP's victory also marks the rise of new players in Bangladeshi politics, including the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizens Party (NCP), formed by uprising leaders. Despite a history of unmet promises, the new leadership faces significant pressure to bring genuine reform in a nation demanding accountability and systemic change as it steps away from the polarizing legacy of its predecessors.
Except this is the first time that new BNP leader Tarique Rahman is formally leading the party - and the first time he's contested an election. His mother Khaleda Zia, who died of an illness late last year, was the party's head for four decades. She took over after his father, Ziaur Rahman, the BNP founder and a key leader of Bangladesh's war for independence, was assassinated.
Accused of benefitting from nepotism when his mother was in power, Tarique Rahman has also faced allegations of corruption. Five days before his mother died, he returned to Bangladesh after 17 years of self-imposed exile in London. While Rahman, 60, has occasionally acted as the de-facto chair of an emaciated BNP when his mother was jailed and recently ill, he's largely seen as an untested leader.
'That he doesn't have prior experience probably works for him, because people are willing to give change a chance, says political scientist Navine Murshid. 'They want to think that new, good things are actually possible. So there is a lot of hope.'
The party's first priority is to bring democracy back to Bangladesh. 'All the democratic institutions [and] financial institutions, which have been destroyed over the last decade, we have to first put those back in order,' senior BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury told the BBC.
Bangladesh has a long history of such promises being made and broken, with parties becoming increasingly authoritarian once they come to power. But this time, the country's young, who came out in the 'July uprising' of 2024 that ousted Hasina, appear less tolerant of accepting more of the same.
'We don't want to fight again,' says Tazin Ahmed, a 19-year-old who participated in the uprising. 'When our country runs smoothly without any corruption, and the economy becomes good, that will be our main victory.'
Since Hasina was ousted, violence has marred the tenure of Bangladesh's interim leader Mohammad Yunus. Getting a grip on law and order will need to be key for the new government. Reviving the economy, reducing food prices, and creating jobs for Bangladesh's large young population are other massive challenges.
The BNP's victory also marks the rise of new players in Bangladeshi politics, including the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizens Party (NCP), formed by uprising leaders. Despite a history of unmet promises, the new leadership faces significant pressure to bring genuine reform in a nation demanding accountability and systemic change as it steps away from the polarizing legacy of its predecessors.
