“We recognize the results and respect the rule of law,” Rahman wrote in a message posted on social media, HINA reports.
On Friday, the Election Commission declared the BNP party, led by Tariq Rahman, a landslide winner in the first parliamentary elections held since the Generation Z uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year-long rule in 2024.
After counting the votes, it was found that the BNP had won 212 out of 300 seats in the parliament, compared to 77 seats won by the Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition. The victory was convincing.
However, on Friday night Rahman strongly condemned the “manipulations” and “irregularities” in the vote counting, announcing that he intended to file a complaint with the election commission. “We have decided that all those who have been deprived of their rights in hundreds of constituencies will demand the correction of the results,” he told reporters, promising not to give up.
However, the Jamaat-e-Islamiyya leader had a change of heart just hours later, as reported in a post on social media overnight. In that message, accusations of massive fraud took on a much more conciliatory tone.
“We will be a vigilant, principled and peaceful opposition and we will hold the government accountable for all its moves, while constructively contributing to national progress,” he said.
Rahman thanked his constituents and supporters, assuring them that their “efforts were not in vain”.
“With 77 seats, we have almost quadrupled our parliamentary strength and become one of the strongest opposition forces in the political history of Bangladesh,” he pointed out.
Election Commission spokesman Anwarul Islam Sarkar on Saturday rejected all allegations of widespread fraud or irregularities.
On the same day, interim government head and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhamad Yunus congratulated the BNP and Tariq Rahman on their “resounding victory”, effectively ending the debate over the election results.
On the streets of the capital Dhaka, his victory was greeted peacefully and without incident.
“I hope that Tariq Rahman will be able to keep his promises and fulfill the aspirations of the people,” 39-year-old store owner Kurshid Alam told AFP.
Most of the world’s major capitals welcomed the BNP’s victory, including Washington, Beijing and New Delhi, whose relations with Dhaka have been significantly strained since the 2024 referendum.
Thursday’s parliamentary elections, which were won by Tariq Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party, were “credible” and “competently conducted”, the head of the European Union observer mission, Ivars Ijabs, said on Saturday.
“The 2026 parliamentary elections were credible and competently conducted, marking a turning point towards the restoration of democratic governance and the rule of law,” Ijabs told reporters.
(Vijesti.ba)
