Yunus says he and championed reform charter \u201cvital to prevent a return to authoritarian rule\u201d
\n dhaka
\nBangladesh began official campaigning on Thursday for the hugely anticipated general elections next month, the first since the 2024 uprising ended the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina.
\nTens of thousands of flags-waving supporters of key frontrunner Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) crowded the streets of the northern city of Sylhet, chanting his name.
\n\u201cWe have liberated the country from autocratic rule,\u201d prime ministerial hopeful Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in exile, told crowds of BNP loyalists. \u201cNow we must establish the rights of the people.\u201d
\nRahman vowed to create jobs for \u201cmillions of unemployed youth\u201d and support women\u2019s economic independence.
\nKey rival Jamaat-e-Islami \u2014 the largest religious party in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million \u2014 began its campaign in the capital Dhaka, after being crushed during Hasina\u2019s 15 years in power.
\nJamaat\u2019s leader Shafiqur Rahman said he wanted to clamp down on corruption and build a nation where \u201cpeople from all races, religions and communities will be treated equally\u201d.
\nAmong the sea of Jamaat supporters was Kakoli Akter, 36, who said it was the first election rally she had ever attended.
\nAlthough eligible to vote since 2008, she said this would be the first time she would cast a ballot, as she could finally support the party of her choice.
\n\u201cWe came here to pray for the party,\u201d she said.
\nThe South Asian nation votes on February 12 to elect 350 lawmakers, polls that will bring in new leadership after prolonged turmoil following the ouster of Hasina\u2019s government, reshaping domestic politics and regional dynamics.
\nIt comes against the backdrop of insecurity \u2014 including the murder last month of a student leader of the anti-Hasina protests \u2014 as well as warnings of a \u201cflood\u201d of online disinformation.
\n\u2018Progress of reform\u2019
\nRahman, 60, better known in Bangladesh as Tarique Zia, assumed leadership of the BNP following the death of his mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who died in December at the age of 80.
\nBangladesh, home to one of the world\u2019s largest Muslim-majority populations, has a significant Sufi following, and the BNP\u2019s Rahman followed tradition to launch his campaigns in Sylhet, home to the centuries-old shrine of Shah Jalal.
\nJamaat-e-Islami began its campaign in the capital Dhaka.
\nIdeologically aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamists are seeking a return to formal politics after years of bans and crackdowns.
\nThe National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by student leaders who spearheaded the uprising, now allied with Jamaat, launched their campaign with its chief Nahid Islam urging voters to \u201ccarry forward the progress of reform\u201d.
\n\u2018New Bangladesh\u2019
\nMuhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who returned from exile in August 2024 at the behest of protesters to lead a caretaker government as \u201cchief adviser\u201d, will step down after the polls.
\nYunus said he inherited a \u201ccompletely broken\u201d political system, and championed a reform charter he argues is vital to prevent a return to authoritarian rule, with a referendum on the changes to be held on the same day as polling. \u201cIf you cast the \u2018yes\u2019 vote, the door to building the new Bangladesh will open,\u201d Yunus said on January 19, in a broadcast to the nation urging support for the referendum.
\nEarlier this month, he warned he was \u201cconcerned about the impact\u201d a surge of disinformation could have.
\n\u201cThey have flooded social media with fake news, rumours and speculation,\u201d Yunus said, blaming both \u201cforeign media and local sources\u201d.
\nRelations with neighbouring India have soured after Hasina escaped to her old ally New Delhi as protesters stormed her palace.
\nHasina, 78, sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity for the deadly crackdown on protesters in her failed bid to cling to power, remains in hiding in India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Yunus says he and championed reform charter \u201cvital to prevent a return to authoritarian rule\u201d dhaka Bangladesh began official campaigning on Thursday for the hugely anticipated general elections next month, the first since the 2024 uprising ended the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina. Tens of thousands of flags-waving supporters of key frontrunner Tarique Rahman of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":527127,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-527104","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n