Jamaat-e-Islami Eyes Political Rebirth in Bangladesh’s February Elections

The once-banned Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, is set for a significant political comeback in Bangladesh's upcoming elections. The party has held talks with various factions and advocates for a unity government focused on anti-corruption, marking its return to mainstream politics after nearly two decades.

Jamaat-e-Islami, a once-prohibited Islamic party in Bangladesh, is preparing for a substantial return in the country's February parliamentary elections. The party is open to forming a unity government, its leader Shafiqur Rahman told Reuters, as it holds discussions with multiple political groups.

The party last held power from 2001 to 2006 as a minor coalition partner with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Now, it seeks to broaden its appeal beyond conservative bases by emphasizing anti-corruption as a shared government's agenda.

The shift happens as the political landscape evolves with the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024, and a recent allowance by an interim government lifting the party's previous election ban.