Taric Rahman of BNP to return for a historic vote

The man considered the next Prime Minister of Bangladesh has finished months of speculation by saying that he will return from two decades abroad to fight against the historic elections.

“The time has come, God wants it, I will come back soon,” said Tarique Rahman, the acting president of the Nationalist Party of Bangladesh, in BBC Bangla in his first face -to -face interview for almost 20 years.

The BNP is the precursor of the vote scheduled for February and Rahman, the son of his chief in difficulty, should lead the country if he wins.

Many consider it one of the most consecutive in the history of Bangladesh after the mass demonstrations ousted the quarter quarter Sheikh Hasina in 2024. His party of the Awami League is unlikely to be authorized to participate.

According to UN investigators, up to 1,400 people died in 2024 disorders, which included a fatal repression against the demonstrations led by students who ousted Hasina.

Hasina, who fled in India, is tried in absentia for crimes against humanity that would have been committed during the demonstrations.

Since she was overthrown, many have wondered why Rahman was still in London, where he has lived since 2008.

“Maybe for personal reasons, the return has not yet occurred. But I think the time has come,” he said.

“This is an election for which people were waiting, I cannot go away during this period.”

The Awami League crushed the BNP, its long -term rival and other opponents for 15 years of rule. Rahman, who has been sentenced in many cases in absentia, was rid of all accusations after Hasina was ousted.

The interim government, led by the Nobel winner, Professor Muhammad Yunus, prohibited the Awami League for political activity until the end of the trial of its leaders. Hasina and her party reject all accusations against them.

Although the BNP has criticized the interim government in the past year so as not to announce an electoral date, it seems to share similar opinions on the participation of the Awami League.

“Those who have ordered murder and torture, they must be brought to justice,” said Tarique Rahman.

With its main rival absent, many speculate that the BNP will have a comfortable lead in the elections – and if the party wins, Rahman, 58, should be the next Prime Minister. His mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who is 80, is sick and is unlikely to take an active part in the countryside.

However, Jamaat-E-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party, has apparently won land in the past year. Its student wing won the majority of the two public elections of the University Student Union for the first time, boosting the party.

Rahman thinks that the results of the student union will not have an involvement for the general elections. Their proportion of votes in previous elections was much smaller compared to the two main parties.

Jamaat-E-Islami is now in talks with other Islamist political parties to form an alliance, but Rahman says he is not worried about this perspective.

“The BNP faced competition in the previous elections. There is nothing to fear,” he said.

In the early 2000s, BNP and JAMAAT formed a coalition government, but recently continued independent paths.

Meanwhile, a new party led by student uprising leaders, the National Party Party (PNC), failed to obtain a lot of support for the student union elections. For a party led by young people, losing your home raised questions about their prospects during the national elections.

Relations with the biggest neighbor in Bangladesh, India, have been tense since Hasina found a shelter in Delhi.

The Bangladesh courts have issued an arrest warrant, and Bangladesh asked for its extradition. India has not yet officially reacted.

The relationship with India is a sensitive issue in Bangladesian policy. The country shares the vast majority of its land border with India. Political parties, including the BNP, have always criticized Delhi for his support for the Awami League, including the three controversial elections held during his reign.

“If they (India) want to move the Bangladesh by sheltering a dictator, then we have nothing to do,” said Rahman.

A central question in the elections is probably the promise of democratic reform and freedom of expression. The government of the Awami League has been widely criticized for having suppressed dissent, including a court order which prohibited the media from publishing Tarica Rahman speeches.

He told the BBC that he would guarantee that such restrictions were not repeated if he came to power.

The interim government is trying to build a consensus among political parties on a set of reforms, but the progress has been slow. For many Bangladais, in particular young people who led the uprising last year, guaranteeing basic freedoms will be a key test for the next government of the country.

The interview was carried out by Mir Sabbir and Qadir Kallol from BBC News Bangla