The Election Commission confirmed that the Awami League Bangladesh’s largest political party and the dominant force in national politics for decades  will not be allowed to contest. The party’s registration was suspended in May 2025, and several senior leaders remain in custody. The interim government has additionally imposed a complete ban on its political activities, raising concerns that the upcoming contest may lack meaningful opposition.

The general election will be held alongside a national referendum on the July Charter, a broad reform blueprint drafted earlier this year by political groups and civil society representatives. The charter proposes changes across 26 areas, including curbing the Prime Minister’s tenure to 8–10 years, redefining the roles of the military and judiciary, strengthening anti-corruption laws, and deciding whether restrictions on Hasina should remain.

A significant proposal under consideration is the creation of a 100-member upper house, with proportional seat allocation aimed at easing political fragmentation.

Meanwhile, the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), which emerged from last year’s student-led anti-Hasina movement, has announced a broad electoral alliance  the Republican Sanskar Alliance  with the Amar Bangladesh Party and a splinter faction of Jamaat-e-Islami. The NCP released its first list of 125 candidates, including 14 women, with its convener Nahid Islam contesting from Dhaka-11.

Bangladesh follows a first-past-the-post electoral model similar to India’s Lok Sabha, electing 300 MPs directly, while 50 seats are reserved for women. The Prime Minister leads the government, with the President serving as a ceremonial head of state elected by Parliament.

The February election is expected to determine not only Bangladesh’s next government but also the trajectory of its political reforms in the post-Hasina era.