UK-based weekly The Economist has reported that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Tarique Rahman is leading the race to become Bangladesh’s next prime minister in the upcoming general election scheduled for February 12, 2026. The magazine described him as a 60-year-old heir of a prominent political family and the top contender following the country’s first election since a ‘revolution’ 18 months earlier that ended the Awami League’s 15-year rule.

The Economist’s analysis stated that the return to democracy is expected to improve law and order, reassure investors, and repair strained relations with India. It noted that the interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus has stabilized the economy and prepared reforms to prevent future authoritarianism, including proposals for a new upper house and a 10-year limit on the prime minister’s tenure. The report also mentioned that Rahman’s BNP is leading opinion polls.

Rahman has pledged to support investors, create jobs, train young Bangladeshis for overseas employment, dig 20,000 kilometers of canals to address water shortages, and plant 50 million trees annually. He emphasized ensuring freedom of expression, maintaining law and order, and prosecuting those responsible for the 2024 protest killings.