Ex-prime minister's son leads Bangladesh's first election since 2024 uprising that ousted Hasina

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by the son of a former prime minister was projected to form the next government as the South Asian nation on Thursday held its first election since mass protests toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2024.

Voting was largely peaceful in an election seen as a test of Bangladesh's democracy after years of political turmoil including what was dubbed as the Generation Z uprising that forced Hasina into exile in India.

Official results were expected on Friday but initial projections showed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party leading with 151 seats — enough to have a majority and form a new government with prospects for the BNP's Tarique Rahman becoming the country's next leader, according to Dhaka-based Jamuna TV.

The BNP's main challenger, an 11-party alliance led by the Jamaat-e-Islami party, garnered 40 seats and three seats by others, the TV station said.

Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in self-exile in London, is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who died in December.

Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy in which 300 lawmakers are elected through direct voting. Another 50 seats are reserved for women.

After a slow start Thursday, crowds converged on polling stations in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere later in the day. By 2 p.m., more than 47% voters had cast their ballots, the Election Commission said. Political party representatives were present as election observers, and security officials kept a close watch on Thursday evening.

More than 127 million people were eligible to vote in the country's first election since Hasina's ouster after weeks of mass protests that led Hasina to flee the country.

As the voting closed, Hasina's Awami League party, which was barred from the election, rejected Thursday's election.

“Today's so-called election by Yunus, who seized power illegally and unconstitutionally, was essentially a well-planned farce,” the former governing party said in a statement on X, referring to interim leader Muhammad Yunus.

“The people's voting rights, democratic values, and the spirit of the constitution were completely disregarded in this deceptive, voter-less election conducted without the Awami League,” it said.

Rahman has pledged to rebuild democratic institutions, restore the rule of law and revive the struggling economy.

Television stations reported late Thursday that Rahman won in two constituencies, one in Dhaka and another in his northern ancestral home.

Challenging the BNP is an 11-party alliance led by the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami which was banned under Hasina but has gained prominence since her removal.

The conservative religious group’s growing influence has fueled concern, particularly among women and minority communities, that social freedoms could come under pressure, if they come to power. Bangladesh is more than 90% Muslim, while around 8% are Hindu.

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman expressed optimism after casting his vote at a polling station.

The election "is a turning point,” he told The Associated Press. “People demand change. They desire change. We also desire the change.”

Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has said the interim government was committed to delivering a credible and transparent election. As part of that effort, around 500 international observers and foreign journalists were present, including delegations from the European Union and the Commonwealth, to which Bangladesh belongs.

“This is a day of great joy. Today is the birthday of a new Bangladesh,” Yunus told reporters.

The election follows a turbulent period marked by mob violence, attacks on Hindu minorities and the media, the growing influence of Islamists and weakening of the rule of law.

It could reshape the domestic stability of Bangladesh, a country whose post-1971 history since gaining independence from Pakistan has been marked by entrenched political parties, military coups and allegations of vote rigging. Young voters, many of whom played a central role in the 2024 uprising, are expected to be influential. Around 5 million first-time voters are eligible.

“I think it is a very crucial election, because this is the first time we can show our opinion with freedom,” said Ikram ul Haque, 28, adding that past elections were far from fair.

“We are celebrating the election. It is like a festival here,” he said.

Thursday’s election is a critical test not just of leadership, but of trust in Bangladesh’s democratic future. Voters can say “Yes” to endorse major reform proposals that stemmed from a national charter signed by major political parties last year.

If a majority of voters favor the referendum, the newly elected parliament could form a constitutional reform council to make the changes with 180 working days from its first session. The proposals include the creation of new constitutional bodies and changing parliament from a single body to a bicameral legislature with an upper house empowered to amend the constitution by a majority vote.

The BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami both signed the document with some changes after initially expressing some dissent.

Hasina’s Awami League party — still a major party in Bangladesh though banned from the polls — and some of its former allies were excluded from the discussion. From exile, Hasina denounced the election for excluding her party.

Some critics have also said that the referendum has limited the options put before voters.

A Bangladeshi woman casts her vote in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A Bangladeshi polling official handing over ballots shortly after the voting of national parliamentary election ended at a polling station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Bangladeshi polling officials open a ballot box for counting after the voting of national parliamentary election ended at a polling station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman arrives to cast his vote at a polling station during parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Polling officials begin the counting of votes cast in Bangladesh's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

A Bangladeshi Christian nun casts her vote in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A person shows victory signs after casting his vote outside a polling center during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman, center, addresses to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Tarique Rahman waves as he comes out after casting his vote during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus waves after casting his vote during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman, centre, addresses to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A woman casts her vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A person shows victory signs after casting his vote outside a polling center during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman, center, addresses to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Tarique Rahman waves as he comes out after casting his vote during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Voters wait in line outside a polling center to cast their ballots during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Voters wait in line outside a polling center to cast their ballots during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Bangladeshi people stand in queue to cast their votes in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

An army official announces to the voters to maintain discipline in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Bangladeshi women stand in queue to cast their votes in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

People ride on three wheelers on a street ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Security personnel arrive to collect ballot boxes and voting materials at a distribution centre ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

An official stands near ballot boxes and voting papers before its distribution to various polling centers ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's Viktor Orbán had such an outsize global influence that his crushing electoral defeat is resounding far and wide.

Here's how global leaders reacted, in their own words. There was no immediate comment from the Trump administration, which campaigned for Orban.

Orbán repeatedly blocked aid for Ukraine to fend off Russia's full-scale invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy quickly reached out to incoming leader Péter Magyar in hopes of support.

‘’It is important when constructive approach prevails. Ukraine has always sought good-neighbourly relations with everyone in Europe and we are ready to advance our cooperation with Hungary,'' he posted on social media.

‘’We are ready for meetings and joint constructive work for the benefit of both nations, as well as peace, security, and stability in Europe,'' Zelenskyy said.

Orban was Russia's closest ally in the European Union, and courted China. Both countries seemed to distance themselves from him after Magyar's win.

“Hungary has made its choice, and we respect that choice,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “We expect to continue our very pragmatic contacts with the new Hungarian leadership.”

Asked about the impact of Hungary’s vote on the conflict in Ukraine, Peskov responded that “I don’t think this has anything to do with the future of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.''

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in Beijing that “China attaches great importance to the development of China-Hungary relations and stands ready to work with Hungary’s new government based on mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.”

Orbán was constantly critical of the EU, even though his country enjoys billions in funding from the bloc.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a frequent target of Orbán's pronouncements, said, ‘’Europe is Hungarian today.''

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it “an historic moment, not only for Hungary, but for European democracy.''

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz messaged Magyar: ‘’Let’s join forces for a strong, secure and, above all, united Europe. Gratulálok, kedves Magyar Péter!”

French President Emmanuel Macron said that "France welcomes the victory of democratic participation, the Hungarian people’s commitment to the values of the European Union.''

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, traveling in South Korea, posted a video clip apparently showing him speaking to Magyar by phone while overlooking the Korean capital.

“Oh, I am so happy. I think I am happier than you, you know,” Tusk said in English.

In his victory speech, Magyar said that his first foreign stop would be to Poland, which has historically had friendly ties to Hungary.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni thanked her ‘’friend Viktor Orbán'' for their collaboration. ‘’I know that even from the opposition he will continue to serve his Nation.''

France's far-right National Rally, jockeying to replace Macron in the French presidency next year, supported Orbán and tread cautiously after his defeat.

‘’This result, respectfully welcomed by Viktor Orbán, shows that the incessant accusations by European institutions in recent years against Hungarian democracy were unfounded,'' posted the party's president, Jordan Bardella.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for his part, offered his “heartiest congratulations” to Magyar on X.

“I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation and to advance the vital India-EU Strategic Partnership for the shared prosperity and well-being of our peoples,” he wrote.

FILE - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban waves has he walks onto stage to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero,File)

FILE - President Donald Trump, left, greets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell,File)

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, center, addresses after a parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)