Bangladesh

world’s first Gen-Z-influenced election is happening in Bangladesh

8:24 pm - February 09, 2026
Bangladesh

Darwin, 09 February:

According to British news agency Reuters, Bangladesh is set to hold its national elections on February 12. Reuters describes this upcoming vote as the world’s first “Gen-Z-influenced election”.

Since the 2009 election that brought the Awami League-led Grand Alliance government to power, there have been three national elections, but Reuters says these were either boycotted by opposition parties or not very competitive.

Following the popular uprising in August 2024 that led to the fall of the Awami League government under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an interim government led by Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus is now in charge. In this election, the Awami League is banned from participating.

Reuters reports that there is widespread expectation that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will win. However, Jamaat-e-Islami has also emerged as a strong challenger.

Of the 300 parliamentary seats, the BNP has fielded candidates in 292. BNP chairman Tarique Rahman expressed confidence that his party would form the government.

Experts say this election is especially important because about 25% of voters are young people from Generation Z, and their choices will have a significant impact on the results.