Politics of Bangladesh takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is the head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Constitution of Bangladesh was written in 1972 and has undergone seventeen amendments.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is a major political party in Bangladesh. Founded on 1 September 1978 by Bangladeshi president Ziaur Rahman with a view of uniting people with a nationalist ideology, BNP later became one of the two dominant parties in Bangladesh, along with its archrival Awami League. Initially a big tent centrist party, it later moved towards more right-wing politics.
Bangladesh Awami League, simply known as Awami League, is one of the major political parties in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achieving the independence of Bangladesh. It is also one of the two most dominant parties in the country, along with its archrival Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The prime minister of Bangladesh, officially prime minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is the chief executive of the government of Bangladesh. The prime minister and the cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate. The prime minister is ceremonially appointed by the president of Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president of Bangladesh. She served in the position of prime minister for over 20 years, making her the longest-serving prime minister in history of Bangladesh. Thus, she became the world's longest-serving female head of government. Her authoritarian regime ended in self-imposed exile following an uprising in 2024.
The Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League was a political front comprising the Bangladesh Awami League, the Communist Party of Bangladesh, the National Awami Party (Muzaffar) and Bangladesh Jatiya League.
Tarique Rahman, also known as Tarique Zia, is a Bangladeshi politician and businessman, who is the acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since February 2018. He is the eldest son of Ziaur Rahman, former Bangladeshi president, and first female prime minister of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia. He is widely seen as an influential figure in BNP and held several high-profile positions within the party, including the post of senior vice chairman.
General elections were held in Bangladesh on 29 December 2008. The two main parties in the election were the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Khaleda Zia, and the Bangladesh Awami League Party, led by Sheikh Hasina. The Bangladesh Awami League Party formed a fourteen-party Grand Alliance including Ershad's Jatiya Party, while the BNP formed a four-party alliance which included the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami. The election was originally scheduled for January 2007, but it was postponed by a military-controlled caretaker government for an extended period of time.
M Ilias Ali was a Bangladeshi politician and member of the Jatiya Sangsad (2001–2006) representing the Sylhet-2 constituency. He served as the organising secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Mohammad Abdul Jalil was a Bangladeshi politician. At the time of his death, he was a member of parliament for the Naogaon-5 constituency.
Amir Hossain Amu is a Bangladeshi politician, a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Jhalokati-2 constituency, and served as the minister of industries during 2014–2019. He was the coordinator and spokesman for the Awami League-led 14-party Grand Alliance he has been arrested in 2024 for crime against humanity.
Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, often shortened as Maulana Bhashani, was a Bengali politician. His political tenure spanned the British colonial India, Pakistan and Bangladesh periods. Maulana Bhashani was popularly known by the honorary title Mozlum Jananeta for his lifelong stance advocating for the poor. He gained nationwide mass popularity among the peasants and helped to build the East Pakistan Peasant Association. Owing to his political leaning to the left, often dubbed Islamic Socialism, he was also called 'The Red Maulana'. He is considered as one of the main pillars of Bangladeshi independence (1971).
General elections were held in Bangladesh on 5 January 2014, in accordance with the constitutional requirement that elections must take place within the 90-day period before the expiration of the term of the Jatiya Sangshad on 24 January 2014.
Tulip Rizwana Siddiq is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hampstead and Highgate, previously Hampstead and Kilburn, since 2015. She served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister from 9 July 2024 until her resignation on 14 January 2025, following allegations of misconduct.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is a Bangladeshi politician. He has been the secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since 2016. He was a member of the parliament for Thakurgaon-1 constituency from 2001 to 2006. In that term, he was also appointed the Minister of State in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and later Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.
Abu Hena Mohammad Mustafa Kamal commonly known as Lotus Kamal is a Bangladeshi politician, former cricket official, and businessman. He was a member of the Jatiya Sangsad representing the Comilla-10 constituency and a Minister for Planning as well as Minister of Finance. He is the owner of Lotus Kamal Group, which is a well-known Bangladeshi conglomerate. Kamal was awarded the Finance Minister of the Year 2020 by magazine The Banker.
Obaidul Quader is a Bangladesh Awami League politician, who has been the General Secretary of the party since October 2016. He was the Minister of Road Transport and Bridges during 2011–2024 and represented the Noakhali-5 Jatiya Sangsad member during 2009–2024. He is also the Media Adviser for the Bangladesh Awami League and regularly conducts press conferences on their behalf. Previously, he served as the State Minister for Youth and Sports between 1996 and 2001. Quader has been accused as one of the key perpetrators of the July massacre. He is wanted by the Bangladesh Police on charges of crimes against humanity during the Student–People's uprising of 2024.
The Pakistan Awami League was a Pakistani political party founded by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy in February 1950. Pir of Manki Sharif and Khan Ghulam Mohammad Khan from the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) joined it soon afterwards.
Abdul Matin Khasru was a Bangladeshi lawyer and politician. He was a Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Comilla-5 constituency during 1991–1995, 1996–2001 and 2009–2021. He served in the first Hasina cabinet as Minister of Law and Justice from 1997 until 2001.
The Bangladesh Krishak League is a farmers' organization in Bangladesh affiliated It's mother party the Bangladesh Awami League. It was established on April 19, 1972, with the aim of representing farmers, advocating for their rights, and supporting agricultural development.
