Tarique Rahman reaches out to Opposition leaders ahead of swearing-in ceremony

Two days ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for the new government of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman and Prime Minister-designate, Tarique Rahman, reached out to Opposition leaders on Sunday (February 15, 2026).

In a reconciliatory gesture, Mr. Rahman visited Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) leader Shafiqur Rahman at his residence, even as the JeI held consultations with members of the 11-party alliance about seeking a recount in 32 parliamentary constituencies. The BNP Chairman also met the National Citizen Party’s (NCP) convener, Nahid Islam.

The meeting between the JeI leader and Mr. Tarique Rahman came a day after JeI and the alliance member NCP alleged that the election process was riddled with “inconsistencies” and “fabrications,” though they did not challenge the results that gave the BNP-led alliance 212 seats, while the 11-party alliance won 77 seats and the JeI secured 68 — its highest tally in Bangladesh’s electoral history.

Chairman Tarique Rahman had reached out to the opposition during his first press conference on Saturday (February 14, 2026), when he called upon all sides to “remain united.”

The BNP refused to describe Mr. Tarique Rahman’s meetings with the JeI leader and Mr. Islam as attempts to resolve any political disputes ahead of the swearing-in ceremony and said that the meetings were merely post-election “courtesy” calls.

The meeting with Mr. Islam was held at the latter’s residence on Bailey Road in Dhaka, where Mr. Tarique Rahman was accompanied by BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan. Following the meeting, an NCP spokesperson described the visit by the BNP leadership as “a welcome move.”

Just before Mr. Tarique Rahman visited the JeI chief’s residence, the Jamaat-led alliance had called for protests over post-poll violence allegedly targeting Jamaat cadres in various parts of Bangladesh. Earlier on Sunday (February 15, 2026), a delegation from the 11-party alliance visited the Election Commission and sought a recount in 32 constituencies.

However, after the meeting between the BNP Chairman and the JeI leader (Ameer), Syed Abdullah Mohammed Taher of JeI told the media that the visit by the leader of the winning side “indicates a qualitative change in national politics.” He added, “In the coming days, we will play the role of a constructive stakeholder.”

In a social media post, JeI chief Mr. Shafiqur Rahman congratulated the PM-designate and said, “We will cooperate fully on matters of national interest, yet we will discharge our constitutional duty as a firm and principled Opposition.”

Jamaat had come out with a three-page-long list of attacks that allegedly took place between Friday (February 13, 2026) and Saturday (February 14, 2026) after the election gave an absolute majority to the BNP, giving it power for the fourth time in the history of Bangladesh.

Jamaat had alleged that in several instances, the post-poll attacks were carried out by the supporters of both the BNP and the banned Awami League.