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February 18, 2026

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5 revisions

Revision 5Current

BNP Wins Bangladesh Landslide as Jamaat-e-Islami's Historic Surge Raises Questions About Women's Rights

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Why This Topic

Bangladesh's first free election in 17 years is a major geopolitical event affecting 170 million people. The combination of BNP's return to power after two decades, Jamaat-e-Islami's unprecedented electoral performance, and the broader implications for women's rights and secularism in a Muslim-majority democracy make this one of the most consequential elections of 2026. The story has significant relevance for international audiences given India-Bangladesh relations and the precedent of Gen Z-driven political change.

Source Selection

The cluster draws on two primary signals: The Guardian's pre-election deep dive on Jamaat-e-Islami's rise and its impact on women's freedoms (Tier 1, published Feb 11), and NZZ's German-language coverage of the same theme. These were supplemented by post-election results reporting from The Guardian, Wikipedia's compiled election data, Al Jazeera, AP, BBC, NDTV and The Hindu, all consulted via web search to provide up-to-date results and reaction.

Editorial Decisions

Edited by CT Editorial Board

Revision 4

BNP Wins Bangladesh Landslide as Jamaat-e-Islami's Historic Surge Raises Questions About Women's Rights

Post-publish edit

CT Editorial Board·
View diff

No diff available (initial revision).

AI transparency

Why This Topic

Bangladesh's first free election in 17 years is a major geopolitical event affecting 170 million people. The combination of BNP's return to power after two decades, Jamaat-e-Islami's unprecedented electoral performance, and the broader implications for women's rights and secularism in a Muslim-majority democracy make this one of the most consequential elections of 2026. The story has significant relevance for international audiences given India-Bangladesh relations and the precedent of Gen Z-driven political change.

Source Selection

The cluster draws on two primary signals: The Guardian's pre-election deep dive on Jamaat-e-Islami's rise and its impact on women's freedoms (Tier 1, published Feb 11), and NZZ's German-language coverage of the same theme. These were supplemented by post-election results reporting from The Guardian, Wikipedia's compiled election data, Al Jazeera, AP, BBC, NDTV and The Hindu, all consulted via web search to provide up-to-date results and reaction.

Editorial Decisions

Edited by CT Editorial Board

Revision 3

BNP Wins Bangladesh Landslide as Jamaat-e-Islami's Historic Surge Raises Questions About Women's Rights

Post-publish edit

CT Editorial Board·
View diff

No diff available (initial revision).

AI transparency

Why This Topic

Bangladesh's first free election in 17 years is a major geopolitical event affecting 170 million people. The combination of BNP's return to power after two decades, Jamaat-e-Islami's unprecedented electoral performance, and the broader implications for women's rights and secularism in a Muslim-majority democracy make this one of the most consequential elections of 2026. The story has significant relevance for international audiences given India-Bangladesh relations and the precedent of Gen Z-driven political change.

Source Selection

The cluster draws on two primary signals: The Guardian's pre-election deep dive on Jamaat-e-Islami's rise and its impact on women's freedoms (Tier 1, published Feb 11), and NZZ's German-language coverage of the same theme. These were supplemented by post-election results reporting from The Guardian, Wikipedia's compiled election data, Al Jazeera, AP, BBC, NDTV and The Hindu, all consulted via web search to provide up-to-date results and reaction.

Editorial Decisions

Edited by CT Editorial Board

Revision 2

BNP Wins Bangladesh Landslide as Jamaat-e-Islami's Historic Surge Raises Questions About Women's Rights

Post-publish edit

CT Editorial Board·
View diff

No diff available (initial revision).

AI transparency

Why This Topic

Bangladesh's first free election in 17 years is a major geopolitical event affecting 170 million people. The combination of BNP's return to power after two decades, Jamaat-e-Islami's unprecedented electoral performance, and the broader implications for women's rights and secularism in a Muslim-majority democracy make this one of the most consequential elections of 2026. The story has significant relevance for international audiences given India-Bangladesh relations and the precedent of Gen Z-driven political change.

Source Selection

The cluster draws on two primary signals: The Guardian's pre-election deep dive on Jamaat-e-Islami's rise and its impact on women's freedoms (Tier 1, published Feb 11), and NZZ's German-language coverage of the same theme. These were supplemented by post-election results reporting from The Guardian, Wikipedia's compiled election data, Al Jazeera, AP, BBC, NDTV and The Hindu, all consulted via web search to provide up-to-date results and reaction.

Editorial Decisions

Edited by CT Editorial Board

Revision 1

BNP Wins Bangladesh Landslide as Jamaat-e-Islami's Historic Surge Raises Questions About Women's Rights

Tarique Rahman's BNP secured 209 seats in Bangladesh's first free election in 17 years, while Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami won a record 68 seats despite controversy over its leader's comments on women.

CT Editorial Board·
AI transparency

Why This Topic

Bangladesh's first free election in 17 years is a major geopolitical event affecting 170 million people. The combination of BNP's return to power after two decades, Jamaat-e-Islami's unprecedented electoral performance, and the broader implications for women's rights and secularism in a Muslim-majority democracy make this one of the most consequential elections of 2026. The story has significant relevance for international audiences given India-Bangladesh relations and the precedent of Gen Z-driven political change.

Source Selection

The cluster draws on two primary signals: The Guardian's pre-election deep dive on Jamaat-e-Islami's rise and its impact on women's freedoms (Tier 1, published Feb 11), and NZZ's German-language coverage of the same theme. These were supplemented by post-election results reporting from The Guardian, Wikipedia's compiled election data, Al Jazeera, AP, BBC, NDTV and The Hindu, all consulted via web search to provide up-to-date results and reaction.

Editorial Decisions

This article covers the results of Bangladesh's February 12, 2026 general election, focusing on two key developments: BNP's landslide victory under Tarique Rahman and Jamaat-e-Islami's record 68-seat showing. The piece examines the implications for women's rights given Jamaat's regressive gender platform, while providing context on voter motivations beyond pure Islamism. Sources include Guardian reporting (both pre- and post-election), Wikipedia's compiled results data, and supplementary coverage from Al Jazeera, NDTV, AP and BBC.