Bangladesh religio-political party open to unity government

A once-banned Bangladeshi religio-political party poised for its strongest electoral showing in February’s parliamentary elections is open to joining a unity government and has held talks with several parties, its chief said.

Opinion polls suggest Jamaat-e-Islami could finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the February 12 vote, marking its first election contest in nearly 17 years and a return to mainstream politics in the predominantly Muslim nation of about 175 million people.

Jamaat last held power between 2001 and 2006 as a junior coalition partner of the BNP and is open to working with the party again.

“We want to see a stable nation for at least five years. If the parties come together, we’ll run the government together,” Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman said in an interview at his office in Dhaka, days after the party drew attention by securing a tie-up with a Gen-Z political group.

Rahman said fighting corruption must be a common agenda for any unity government. The prime minister would come from the party winning the most seats, he added. If Jamaat emerges on top, the party would decide whether he himself would be a candidate.

The party’s resurgence follows the ousting of long-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a youth-led uprising in August 2024.

Rahman said Hasina’s continued stay in India after fleeing Dhaka was a concern, adding that bilateral ties have fallen to their lowest point in decades since her downfall.

Asked about Jamaat’s historical closeness to Pakistan, Rahman said the party maintains “balanced relations with all.”

He also said any government that includes Jamaat would “not feel comfortable” working with President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was elected unopposed with the backing of Hasina’s Awami League in 2023.