Summary
Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami party might have a chance to lead an electoral alliance that could win the upcoming general election. The election is scheduled for February 12, 2025, following a change in government after a student-led uprising against the previous prime minister. Jamaat's support has increased despite facing repressive measures in the past.
Key Facts
- Bangladesh will hold its general election on February 12, 2025.
- Jamaat-e-Islami is vying for power in an alliance with the National Citizen Party and other Islamist groups.
- Recent polls show Jamaat's support close behind the leading Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
- The BNP's support is at approximately 34%, with Jamaat's support at around 33%.
- The previous government, led by Sheikh Hasina, faced a student uprising resulting in her ouster.
- Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party was banned, and Hasina is in exile in India.
- Under Hasina, Jamaat leaders faced executions and imprisonments due to past conflicts.
- Jamaat, founded in 1941, has roots in a broader Islamist movement during British rule in India.
