Bangladesh after the elections: ‘A clear result,’ says Fr Cagnasso, who hopes to see a new phase
The victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party marked the end of 15 years of Awami League rule. A PIME missionary spoke to AsiaNews about the vote, noting that it was more peaceful with less fraud, although there are concerns about internal tensions and the rise of Islamists. A desire for change and stability prevails among the population.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) – After years of authoritarian rule, Bangladesh looks to the future with renewed hope. This is perhaps the most significant result from the parliamentary elections on 12 February, which handed 212 out of 300 seats to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
“The main news about these elections is not that there was fraud, which has always been the case, but that there was so little. This is truly unexpected news,” PIME missionary Fr Franco Cagnasso told AsiaNews.
“There was also widespread fear of a return to violence. But if we compare it to the past, we can say that these elections were held in a very peaceful atmosphere," added the priest, who first arrived in Bangladesh in 1978.
For almost two years, the South Asian country was governed by a caretaker government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who came to power in the wake of large-scale anti-government protests led by university students in July 2024, ousting former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, leader of the Awami League, the party that led Bangladesh to independence.
“After the Awami League was banned, there were questions about which party voters would turn to. Many were convinced that the population would turn to Islamist parties, particularly the Jamaat-e-Islami, which instead came in second, by a very large margin of hundreds of thousands of votes,” explained Father Cagnasso. “This is also why it's difficult to speak of fraud: such a clear result means that the population wanted a BNP victory.”
The vote took place in a climate of strong popular mobilisation. More than 127 million people were registered to vote, not only to renew parliament, but also to approve a series of constitutional reforms via referendum. The turnout of 59 per cent exceeded expectations, with large participation rates among young people and women.
Certainly, critical issues remain according to the clergyman. “The BNP has always been quite quarrelsome internally. There has been a lot of violence in the past between different factions, so now that they've come to power, there's a major risk of a return to violence.”
But at the same time, Tarique Rahman has signalled that he does not want to fuel tensions. “Ever since he was a boy here in Bangladesh, they have called him 'rascal’, a ‘bad boy’.”
Convicted by the Hasina government for various crimes, including corruption and money laundering, Rahman went into forced exile in London after spending 18 months in prison.
“When he was released from prison, he had a black eye. He said he had fallen in the bathroom, but it was clear that he had been beaten," Father Cagnasso said.
He did not set foot in the country again for 15 years, until 25 December 2025. “Now he's returned with a very different attitude, that of a politician, not a capricious boy who can do whatever he wants because he's the son of one of the country's most prominent families.
"Since Hasina was ousted, he has emphasised that he doesn't want to resort to revenge but rather wants the country's good. He has maintained this line quite consistently so far, seeking dialogue with other parties to help Bangladesh move forward.”
In recent days, Rahman visited the political leaders of the Awami League and Jamaat-e-Islami, showing that he deserves the trust of the people.
“After the elections, he said not to hold victory demonstrations, but to gather to pray and thank the Lord. This is a remarkable gesture. Even if it was just propaganda, it still sends a message against violence and abuse," the missionary added.
It was precisely this desire for change that drove voters to vote en masse for the BNP after 15 years of Awami League rule, which had gradually veered towards authoritarianism.
"Hasina's misdeeds had become intolerable, as had the use of the party's youth wing, the Chhatra League, which repeatedly committed violence, often justified by the government.
“Likewise, people could no longer tolerate the abuses of the RAB (Rapid Action Battalion), a special forces unit that for years committed extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances against political opponents. Only after Hasina's ouster did some of the atrocities come to light.
“She may have had excellent political skills, but she got caught up in the thrill of power, and that's precisely why she went down. Her biggest mistake was not engaging with the students, but instead calling them enemies of Bangladesh.”
A special commission of inquiry established by the caretaker government has so far found 16 secret detention centres operated by the RAB.
A United Nations investigation in February 2025 also highlighted the ease with which the RAB fired "indiscriminately and on a large scale" against peaceful protesters, concluding that up to 1,400 people were killed in the July 2024 protests before Hasina left the country on 5 August.
The National Citizen Party, the student party born from that popular movement, allied itself with the Jamaat ahead of the elections. “Probably because there is also an Islamic revival among the younger generations,” Father Cagnasso said.
“Not all, but many young people received their education in madrasas funded by Saudi Arabia” to promote a more radical Islam, in contrast to Bangladesh's Sufi tradition, which revolves around shrines and the worship of saints and remains central to the majority of the population.
“These are not violent Quranic schools, with a few exceptions. They don't incite guerrilla warfare, but they promote a more rigid Islam, and this change is perceptible within society. It was quite spontaneous for the students, therefore, who have this pro-Islamic tendency, to ally themselves with the Jamaat, even though some tensions also emerged among them, and some later split.”
The Islamists won 77 seats with their coalition of 11 parties. Since the founding of the Jamaat-e-Islami in 1941, the party had never exceeded 12 per cent of the vote and had been banned several times.
This year, it reached nearly 32 per cent of the vote, moving from a minor party to the main opposition party, taking over, according to some commentators, the role previously held by the Awami League.
Religious minorities had long felt protected by Hasina's government. “There seems to be a certain curious indifference among Christians today. A good portion probably voted for the BNP, which, however, has a long history in government and isn't as frightening as the Jamaat.”
The Islamists have also made some missteps. “Shafiqur Rahman, the party's leader, said shortly before the elections that women are naturally unfit to govern, raising a storm.”
Since the 1990s, Bangladesh has had two women in power: Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, who died at the age of 80 on 30 December 2025. Her son now has the task of keeping the promises of moderation made so far.
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28/10/2023 18:20
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