Politics Ledger · Asia-Pacific

Bangladesh

Electoral autocracyParliamentary republicUnitary
Updated todaysource: Curated
curated|
Updated todaysource: Curated
estimate
In charge
Tarique Rahman
Prime Minister
Time in power
0.7 yrs
since 2026
Government seats
71%
majority
Next national vote
2031-02
General
Governance score
30/100
composite of five indices

Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in a bloody 1971 war. Its politics has been a feud between the Awami League and the BNP, punctuated by coups, until the 2024 student uprising toppled Sheikh Hasina.

Leadership

Who Governs Bangladesh

Head of state
Mohammed Shahabuddin
President
Since 24 April 2023 · 3.5 years
Age 77 (born 1949)ManRoute to power: elected by parliament
Head of government
Holds executive power
Tarique Rahman
Prime Minister · Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Since 17 February 2026 · 0.7 years
Age 61 (born 1965)ManRoute to power: won a popular election
Ruling coalition
BNP-led alliance (212 seats)
Main opposition
Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance (77 seats), including the student-founded NCP
Last national election
12 February 2026
General and July Charter referendum

BNP won a large majority in the first election since Sheikh Hasina's fall; the reform referendum passed. Awami League was barred.

Next national election
By February 2031
General

Sheikh Hasina, in exile in India, was sentenced to death in absentia in 2025.

Recent changes (last 12 months)
Parliament

Jatiya Sangsad (unicameral)

Seat distribution (Directly elected seats, 12 February 2026), ordered from economic left to right.

PartyIdeologySeatsRole
BNP-led alliance (BNP)Bangladeshi nationalism, Centre-right212governing
Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance (JI)Islamism77opposition
Others and independents (OTH)Various11opposition
Ideology

Party Landscape

Each party placed on economic and social axes, sized by seats.

Institutions

The System

Official name
People's Republic of Bangladesh
Capital
Dhaka
Population
174 million
Statehood
Independence 1971; Constitution 1972 (July Charter reforms 2026)
System
Parliamentary republic
Structure
Unitary
Current constitution
1972
Legislature
Jatiya Sangsad
Lower / sole chamber
Jatiya Sangsad (unicameral) (300 seats)
Electoral system
FPTP in 300 constituencies, plus 50 reserved seats for women.
Term limits
Prime minister limited to ten years under the July Charter reforms.

Sources

  • Bangladesh Election Commission
  • The Daily Star, Feb 2026
  • EIU Democracy Index 2024; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2025; RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025; Transparency International CPI 2024; IPU Parline, 2026; V-Dem v15 Liberal Democracy Index (approximate five-year readings)

Last verified 2026-10-29. Party placements are editorial estimates.

Data as of 2026-10-29.