&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "BNP’s Tarique vs Jamaat’s Shafiqur: Leaders cast vote in Bangladesh elections, Yunus calls it ‘day of freedom’")
As Bangladesh cast its vote in the first election on Thursday (Feb 12) after the deadly 2024 uprising, BNP’s Tarique Rahman and Jamaat‑e‑Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman compete in a two-way contest. The election is one of its most consequential in decades and comes about 18 months after the resignation of long-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina, which ended the Awami League’s rule.
‘New dream’
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus called the polling day “a day of freedom, adding that the election has begun a “new dream”, ending the “nightmare”.
“This is a day of freedom,” the 85‑year‑old Nobel Peace Prize winner said after voting in Dhaka. “Through this, we have ended the nightmare and begun a new dream.”
Yunus has been serving as the acting head of the state since the ouster of Hasina in August 2024.
“Today is the birthday of a new Bangladesh. We will celebrate this birthday throughout the day. But I would remind you that along with voting, please also vote for the referendum (Gono vote),” Yunus said. “Voting for the party candidates is important, but voting for the referendum will ensure continuation of democracy.”
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Tarique Rahman ‘very optimistic’
Bangladesh’s leading prime ministerial hopeful, Tarique Rahman, the chief of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, urged citizens to vote and combat the “conspiracies” attempted to derail the election.
“I firmly believe that if people in Bangladesh come out to cast their votes, conspiracies will not succeed,” Rahman told reporters after voting in Dhaka. “My best wishes to everyone for ushering in a new democracy.”
When asked about election results, the BNP chairman said, “Voting has just begun. It would not be right to comment on the outcome just yet. But I am, Insha’Allah, very optimistic. We have full faith in the people’s verdict.”
Jamaat‑e‑Islami warns against vote rigging allegations
Meanwhile, the chief of Bangladesh’s Jamaat‑e‑Islami-led coalition, Shafiqur Rahman, warned that his influential party would contest any allegations of vote rigging in the elections.
“If any allegations are serious, we will not spare anyone – we will do whatever is required,” Jamaat‑e‑Islami chief Rahman told reporters after casting his ballot in Dhaka. “We do not want people to lose their democratic rights. I urge everyone to come out of their homes, exercise their democratic rights, and take part in building the country.”
