Bangladeshs Jamaat-e-Islami party faces uncertain future in politics

Bangladesh to Hold General Election on February 12

A general election is scheduled to take place in Bangladesh on February 12, marking a significant event in the country’s political landscape. The election will be the first since a student-led uprising toppled the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.

The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, has banned Awami League party, which was previously led by Hasina. This move has created a bipolar contest between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and an electoral alliance formed by the Jamaat-e-Islami party with the National Citizen Party (NCP).

Recent opinion polls have shown that the Jamaat is closing in on the BNP, its senior coalition partner for decades. A December survey conducted by the International Republican Institute put the BNP’s support at 33 percent, while the Jamaat was close behind at 29 percent. Another poll conducted last week found the BNP leading with 34.7 percent and the Jamaat at 33.6 percent.

The outcome of the election would be a significant shift for the Jamaat, which has faced a brutal crackdown under Hasina’s government. The party was banned, its top leaders were hanged or jailed, and thousands of its members were forcibly disappeared or killed in custody.

The Jamaat had previously supported Pakistan during Bangladesh’s war of independence from Pakistan in 1971, a move that continues to be contentious among many in the country today. However, following Hasina’s escape to India and the release of key Jamaat leaders from prison, the party has become increasingly assertive.

Abdur Razzak, a 45-year-old banker from Bangladesh’s Faridpur district, believes that his party has a real chance of coming to power as part of a governing alliance. He cited recent polls and the growing sympathy for the Jamaat among voters as reasons for his optimism. The party was founded by Syed Abul Ala Maududi in 1941 and has since evolved into a distinct political force in Bangladesh.

The election is set to be a significant event in Bangladesh’s history, with the outcome having far-reaching implications for the country’s politics and society.

Source: Al Jazeera