The high stakes of the 2026 Bangladesh election | Nusmila Lohani and Zyma Islam

On 12 February 2026, Bangladesh holds its first election since the July Revolution in 2024 that overthrew the authoritarian government of Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League. These polls are among the most critical in the country’s tumultuous history. Hasina’s exile, a ban on the Awami League and a generational change in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) after Khaleda Zia’s death have transformed the face of Bangladesh politics. Himal's editor Roman Gautam and associate editor Nayantara Narayanan speak to Bangladeshi journalists Zyma Islam and Nusmita Lohani to unpack Bangladesh’s contested present and recent past, offering nuance and deeper perspective to make sense of the election and what comes after it. Read the rest of our coverage here :https://www.himalmag.com/politics/bangladesh-election-bnp-jamaat-islamist-hasinYou can also listen to this conversation on🎧 YouTube: https://youtu.be/HqEEI5GNna4 🎧 Apple podcasts:Himal Southasian is Southasia’s first and only regional news and analysis magazine. Stretching from Afghanistan to Burma, from Tibet to the Maldives, this region of more than 1.4 billion people shares great swathes of interlocking geography, culture and history. Yet today neighbouring countries can barely talk to one another, much less speak in a common voice. For three decades, Himal Southasian has strived to define, nurture, and amplify that voice. Read more: https://www.himalmag.com/Support our independent journalism and become a Patron of Himal: https://www.himalmag.com/support-himalFind us on: https://twitter.com/Himalistanhttps://www.facebook.com/himal.southasianhttps://www.instagram.com/himalistan/#bangladesh #bangladeshelection2026 #democracy #awamileague #bnp #sheikhhasina #southasianvoices #southasianlanguage #southasiageopolitics #editorialanalysis #journalism #southasianews #netrachannel #dailystar #politics #podcast #politicalupdates #politicalpodcast #generalknowledge #general #generalelections