Tarique Rahman (PTI image)

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tarique Rahman on Saturday called for national unity in his first address after the party’s sweeping victory in the parliamentary elections.He dedicated the win to people who, he said, had “sacrificed for democracy” and urged political differences to be set aside in the larger interest of the country.Rahman, who is set to become Bangladesh’s next prime minister, said that the country must stay united despite political divisions. “Our paths and opinions may differ, but in the interest of the country, we must remain united,” he said in his first speech since the election.“I firmly believe that national unity is a collective strength, while division is a weakness,” he added.The BNP secured a landslide victory in the elections held on Thursday, the first since the deadly 2024 uprising that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. According to the Election Commission, the BNP-led alliance won 212 seats, while the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance secured 77 seats. Hasina’s Bangladesh Awami League was barred from contesting the polls.In his address, Rahman began by thanking supporters and describing the mandate as a victory for democratic aspirations.“Freedom loving pro-democracy people of the country have once again brought victory to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party,” he said.“This victory belongs to Bangladesh, belongs to democracy, this victory belongs to people who aspired to and have sacrificed for democracy,” he added.He acknowledged that the incoming government would face significant challenges. “We have paved the way for the establishment of democracy in the country,” Rahman said.“We are about to begin our journey in a situation marked by a fragile economy left behind by an authoritarian regime, weakening constitutional and structural institutions and destroying law and order,” he added.The result marks a significant political comeback for the 60-year-old leader, who returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in exile in Britain. Rahman is the son of former president Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who served three terms in office and remained a central figure in the country’s politics for decades.Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman initially alleged “inconsistencies and fabrications” in the voting process but later conceded defeat. He said his party would “serve as a vigilant, principled, and peaceful opposition”.The BNP’s victory, with more than a two-thirds majority, signals a major political shift in Bangladesh following months of unrest and the dramatic events of 2024.