Dual citizenship: Bangladesh’s latest political flashpoint before elections

Al JazeeraCenterEN 5 min read 100% complete by By Moudud Ahmmed SujanJanuary 20, 2026 at 11:15 AM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

Ahead of Bangladesh's February 12 elections, a dispute over dual citizenship eligibility for candidates has become a major political flashpoint. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the National Citizen Party (NCP) have both accused the Election Commission of bias regarding the acceptance of candidates with dual citizenship. Under Bangladeshi law, foreign citizens cannot contest elections, leading to scrutiny of 25 candidates suspected of holding dual citizenship. After reviewing objections, the Election Commission upheld the candidacy of 23 individuals, including members of the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP, and Khelafat Majlis, after they provided documentation of renouncing or applying to renounce their foreign citizenship. The NCP has threatened to reconsider its participation in the election due to the ongoing dispute.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan 40% Khelafat Majlis 40% Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) 50% Sheikh Hasina 50% Jamaat-e-Islami ×255% AMM Nasir Uddin 60% Dhaka ×260% National Citizen Party (NCP) ×465% Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ×580% Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC) ×785% Bangladesh ×490%

Keywords

dual citizenship 100% bangladesh 90% elections 90% bangladesh election commission 80% political flashpoint 70% bnp 70% ncp 60% nomination papers 50% parliamentary elections 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Bangladesh

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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dual citizenship bangladesh elections bangladesh election commission political flashpoint bnp ncp nomination papers parliamentary elections

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