What is Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami party? Could it lead the country next?

"For the first time in his life, Abdur Razzak, a 45-year-old banker in Bangladesh's Faridpur district, believes the political party he supports has a real chance of coming to power as the leader of a governing alliance. Campaigning for the Jamaat-e-Islami party's scales symbol in his town, Razzak said people he was meeting with were united in voting for Jamaat, as the Islamist party is commonly referred to in the world's eighth-most populous country, home to the fourth-largest Muslim population on the planet."

"Bangladesh is scheduled to hold a general election on February 12, the first vote since a student-led uprising toppled longtime former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government in August 2024. The interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, which succeeded Hasina after the uprising, banned her Awami League party. This has made the upcoming election a bipolar contest between the frontrunner, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and an electoral alliance forged by the Jamaat."

"Razzak's confidence is fuelled by recent opinion polls that suggest the Jamaat is closing in on the BNP, its senior coalition partner for decades. A December survey by the United States-based International Republican Institute put the BNP's support at 33 percent, with Jamaat close behind at 29 percent. Another poll last week, conducted by leading Bangladeshi agencies including NarratiV, Projection BD, the International Institute of Law and Diplomacy (IILD) and the Jagoron Foundation found the BNP leading at 34.7 percent, and Jamaat at 33.6 percent."

An Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, now has a realistic opportunity to lead a governing alliance in Bangladesh. A 45-year-old banker in Faridpur reports strong local support while campaigning for the party's scales symbol. Bangladesh will hold a general election on February 12, the first vote after a student-led uprising toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus banned the Awami League, creating a bipolar contest between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and an electoral alliance of Jamaat, the National Citizen Party (formed by 2024 student leaders) and other Islamist parties. Recent polls show Jamaat closing the gap with BNP.

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