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Published : 13 Feb 2026, 06:18 PM
With the results of the election now declared in 297 constituencies, attention has shifted from the ballot box to the formalities that will shape Bangladesh’s next government: when the official gazette will be issued and who will administer the oath to the newly elected lawmakers.
In post-July Uprising Bangladesh, the election -- held without the Awami League -- has produced a landslide victory for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which secured 209 seats to emerge as the dominant force in the new parliament.
The Jamaat-e-Islami, once an ally of the BNP, has re-emerged as a major rival, winning 68 seats.
Results have so far been declared in 297 of the 299 constituencies. According to court directives, the results for two constituencies in Chattogram will be announced later.
Polling in Sherpur-3 has been suspended following the death of a Jamaat candidate.
Speaking at the Election Commission headquarters on Friday, Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said voter turnout in the election stood at 59.44 percent, calculated on the basis of votes cast in the 297 constituencies where results have been announced.
Turnout in the referendum held alongside the election was higher, at 60.26 percent, based on the consolidated results from all 299 constituencies.
Akhtar also disclosed the seat distribution among parties.
RESULTS IN 297 SEATS:
BNP: 209
Jamaat-e-Islami: 68
National Citizen Party (NCP): 6
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis: 2
Islami Andolan Bangladesh: 1
Gono Odhikar Parishad: 1
Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP): 1
Ganosamhati Andolan: 1
Khelafat Majlis: 1
Independents: 7
GAZETTE AND OATH: WHAT EC SAYS
The EC says it will take steps to publish the gazette notification of the winners in all 297 constituencies as quickly as possible.
The gazette will be issued in a single document, listing the names and addresses of all the elected members.
Asked about the timeline, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said: “The gazette for the 297 elected members may be published within [Friday].
“After that, the Election Commission Secretariat will forward it to the government for the necessary steps.”
After the 2024 election, the Awami League formed the government and Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury assumed office as speaker. She is now an accused in multiple cases and is currently in hiding.
At the same time, Shamsul Haque Tuku took charge as deputy speaker. He is now in prison as a suspect in multiple cases.
This has created uncertainty over who will administer the oath to the newly elected members of parliament.
Under constitutional provisions, however, if the speaker or deputy speaker does not administer the oath -- or is unable to do so -- the chief election commissioner may step in after a specified period.
Election Commissioner Masud said, “Article 148(3) states that if the speaker or deputy speaker does not administer the oath, or is unable to do so, or is not in office, then from the fourth day onwards the chief election commissioner shall administer the oath.”
He said the EC would move swiftly, keeping Ramadan in mind.
“The commission’s responsibility is to publish the gazette. After that, the government will take the necessary steps. If the oath is administered quickly, the government can be formed before Ramadan,” he added.
Earlier, on Feb 5, Law Advisor Asif Nazrul said, in the absence of the speaker or deputy speaker, newly elected MPs could be sworn in by a “person designated by the president”.
He also noted that if no oath is administered within three days of election, the chief election commissioner would then be empowered to do so.
A LOOK BACK AT PREVIOUS PARLIAMENTS
Bangladesh held its first election on Mar 7, 1973. Although 300 seats were contested through direct elections, 15 seats were reserved for women at the time.
The Awami League, which led the Liberation War, won 293 of the 300 seats in that first election.
Nearly eight years later, the second parliamentary election was held on Feb 18, 1979, during the rule of Ziaur Rahman.
The number of reserved women’s seats was then set at 30. The BNP, founded just six months earlier, won 207 seats, while the two factions of the Awami League together won 41.
The third parliamentary election was held on May 7, 1986, amid a BNP boycott. Military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad’s Jatiya Party won 153 seats, the Awami League 76, and Jamaat-e-Islami 10.
Just two years later, on Mar 3, 1988, the fourth parliamentary election took place under Ershad’s rule, with most parties including the Awami League and BNP boycotting the polls.
The Jatiya Party won 251 seats. As the law governing reserved women’s seats had expired, the total number of seats in parliament stood at 300.
Bangladesh entered a new phase of electoral politics with the fifth parliamentary election, held on Feb 27, 1991, under a caretaker government.
The BNP won 140 seats, the Awami League 88, and the Jatiya Party 35. An additional 30 women were indirectly elected as MPs by the elected members.
The election on Feb 15, 1996 was held amid a boycott by the Awami League and most opposition parties.
The BNP won 278 of the 300 seats. After just four working days, parliament was dissolved, though it passed the caretaker government bill before dissolution.
Under that caretaker system, the seventh parliamentary election was held on Jun 12, 1996. The Awami League won 146 seats, the BNP 116, and the Jatiya Party 32. Sheikh Hasina returned to power after 21 years.
The election on Oct 1, 2001, brought the BNP-led four-party alliance to power.
The BNP won 193 seats, while the Awami League secured 62.
The election held on Dec 29, 2008 under a caretaker government after two years of military-controlled administration saw the Awami League-led alliance win 263 seats.
The BNP-led alliance won 33. The 15th Constitutional Amendment, passed during this parliament, abolished the caretaker government system.
The election on Jan 5, 2014 was held amid boycotts by the BNP and other parties. The Awami League formed the government with 153 MPs elected uncontested.
In the election on Dec 30, 2018, the Awami League won a landslide victory, securing 257 seats.
Other winners included the Jatiya Party with 22 seats, the BNP with six, Workers Party with three, JaSaD with two, Gono Forum with two, Bikalpa Dhara with two, Tarikat Federation with one, JP with one, and independents with three.
In the last election on Jan 7, 2024, the Awami League won 222 seats, while independent candidates secured 62.
The Jatiya Party won 11 seats, Workers Party and JaSaD one each, and the Bangladesh Kalyan Party won one seat.
