Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
– A new survey by the South Asian Network on Economic Modelling (SANEM) and ActionAid Bangladesh reveals that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is currently the most popular choice among young voters in Bangladesh ahead of the anticipated 2026 general elections.
Titled “Youth in Transition”, the survey covered 2,000 respondents aged 15–35 from across all eight divisions. It found that 38.76% of youth back the BNP, followed by Jamaat-e-Islami (21.45%), and the newly formed National Citizen Party (15.84%). Only 15.02% expressed support for the banned Awami League, which was ousted in the 2024 mass uprising and officially banned in May 2024. Its student wing, the Chhatra League, was declared a terrorist outfit later that year.
Despite 76.78% of surveyed youth intending to vote, 82.7% said they have no interest in political engagement—citing fear, violence, and distrust.
Selim Raihan, SANEM’s executive director, noted that youth demand systemic reforms, especially in education, employment, and an end to corruption.
The findings come as the transitional government under Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus pushes electoral reforms and maintains that parties implicated in human rights abuses will remain barred until legally cleared.