‘Frightening situation’: Bangladesh elections haunted by political violence

Al JazeeraCenterEN 9 min read 100% complete by By Moudud Ahmmed SujanJanuary 27, 2026 at 06:07 AM

AI Summary

long article 9 min

Bangladesh's upcoming February 12th parliamentary elections, the first since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, are being marred by increasing political violence. Since the election announcement in December, at least 16 political activists have been killed, raising concerns about a return to a period of repression. The violence is occurring despite the interim government of Muhammad Yunus overseeing the vote, which also includes a referendum on state reforms. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is leading a coalition of parties in the election, while the Jamaat-e-Islami heads another alliance. These incidents are reviving fears of widespread election-related violence that has plagued Bangladesh since its independence.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Gopalganj 30% Pakistan 30% India 40% Dhaka ×250% Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat) 50% Kazi Shawon Alam ×360% Azizur Rahman Musabbir ×360% Muhammad Yunus ×270% Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ×380% Sheikh Hasina ×490% Bangladesh ×6100%

Keywords

political violence 100% bangladesh elections 90% election violence 80% political activists 70% sheikh hasina 60% bnp 50% interim government 50% muhammad yunus 50% mass arrests 40% state reforms 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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political violence bangladesh elections election violence political activists sheikh hasina bnp interim government muhammad yunus mass arrests state reforms

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