'BNP and Jamaat good pair for democratic path in Bangladesh'

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party with an absolute majority and a strong opposition Jamaat-e-Islami will be a very good pair for the next democratic path in the country, a top BNP leader said Friday as his party is set to return to power. With more than 151 seats in the 300-seat parliament, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is cruising towards a sweeping victory in the landmark parliamentary polls held on Thursday, local media reports said. The Jamaat-e-Islami, leading an 11-party alliance, is heading or winning in around 75 seats, media reports said at around noon. ''It was a historic election in cooperation with the Election Commission, the Interim government, political parties and the main factor, the general people of the country,'' Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, adviser to BNP chairman Tarique Rahman, told PTI Videos. ''We have successfully built a bridge between these four components... The results have come out and the people of Bangladesh are very glad to express their choice. Accordingly, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has got the absolute majority,'' he said. Pointing out that the opposition, under the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, has also got a good number of seats, Alal said, ''In the Parliament, the absolute majority party BNP and the strong opposition Jamaat-e-Islami leadership... this will be a good phenomenon... a very good pair for the next democratic path in Bangladesh.'' The 13th parliamentary elections assumed significance as they were held after a period of tumultuous political vacuum, instability and fragile security situation, including widespread attacks on minorities, after the student-led protests brought down the more than 15 years of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League regime in August 2024. It is becoming increasingly clear that BNP's top leader Tarique Rahman is set to become the prime minister to replace the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.