Jamaat-led bloc accepts Bangladesh polls outcome, will act as main opposition

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami party-led alliance on Saturday accepted the results of Thursday’s general election after claiming some irregularities in the ballot counting process.

In the election, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured 209 parliamentary seats, a two-thirds majority, while its close contender Jamaat won 68 seats.

The BNP-led alliance won 212 seats in total, whereas the Jamaat-led bloc won a total of 77 seats, with the remaining seats obtained by other parties and independent candidates.

Jamaat's chief Shafiqur Rahman said in a post on US social media platform Facebook early Saturday that his party and alliance accepted the overall election results.

“We recognize the overall outcome, and we respect the rule of law,” he added.

We will serve as a vigilant, principled, and peaceful opposition, holding the government to account while contributing constructively to national progress,” he noted.

He, however, alleged that some faced intimidation and harassment simply for exercising their democratic right.

Earlier, on Friday night, their alliance at a news conference alleged that there were some irregularities in the vote counting process as dozens of candidates won the competition in a tough competition and with a low margin.

One person was killed in post-election violence on Friday.

Meanwhile, interim government head Muhammad Yunus, in an official statement on Saturday, congratulated BNP chairperson Tarique Rahman on the landslide victory of his party under his leadership.

“This clear verdict of the people in the historic process of democratic transition will be a very important milestone in the country's constitutional and democratic continuity and institutional stability,” said Yunus.

Election Commission releases names of new MPs

Meanwhile, the Election Commission early Saturday published the official gazette notification, releasing the names of the newly elected lawmakers in 297 constituencies.

The voting in 299 of the 300-seat parliament was held on Thursday. The election in a constituency has been suspended due to the death of a candidate before the election.

More than 127.6 million people were eligible to cast ballots, and the country recorded a voter turnout of 59.44%, up from 41.8% in the January 2024 elections. Those polls were boycotted by the BNP-Jamaat opposition under ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government.

The date of the oath-taking ceremony, however, has not yet been announced by the government.

Earlier, law adviser Asif Nazrul said that due to the absence of the speaker or deputy speaker of the last parliament, the oath-taking ceremony of the new lawmakers will be administered by a "presidential nominee."

He also said that if no one takes the oath within three days of being elected, then the chief election commissioner can administer the oath.

The commission also officially published the referendum results on constitutional reforms. Votes in favor exceeded 60%, with a voter turnout of 59.44%.

Meanwhile, the EU Election Observation Mission vising Dhaka on Saturday at news conference termed Thursday's general elections as credible and a pivotal step toward restoring democracy and rule of law in Bangladesh.

“The electoral legal framework largely accords with international standards, while the Bangladesh Election Commission worked independently and transparently, maintaining stakeholders’ confidence and lending integrity to the polls,” Ivars Ijabs, a member of the European Parliament and the chief observer of the mission, said.