As Bangladesh prepares for a pivotal general election on February 12, the country’s turbulent 2014 polls continue to loom large as a stark reminder of how fragile its democratic process has been at times. The upcoming election will be the first since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following a powerful student-led movement and will be conducted under an interim administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

The 2014 general election remains one of the bloodiest chapters in Bangladesh’s political history, marked by widespread violence, opposition boycotts, and deadly clashes. Since gaining independence in 1971, only a handful of elections in the country have been widely regarded as free and fair, with the 2014 vote often cited as a low point due to its scale of unrest and loss of life.

A key trigger for the crisis was the abolition of the caretaker government system in 2011 by the Awami League government. The mechanism, once demanded by Sheikh Hasina’s party in 1996 to ensure fair elections, had been designed to oversee polls neutrally. Its removal drew sharp opposition from the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), which feared electoral manipulation and demanded its reinstatement.

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Tensions escalated in late 2013 as the BNP and allied parties launched nationwide blockades and strikes, eventually announcing a boycott of the January 5, 2014, election. Human Rights Watch reported a sharp rise in political violence following the boycott call, with clashes spreading across the country amid protests and countermeasures by security forces.

The polls were held against a backdrop of unrest linked to the trial and sentencing of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders accused of war crimes during the 1971 independence struggle. According to international media reports, at least 18 people were killed on polling day, with dozens more dying in the weeks leading up to the vote. More than 150 polling centres were reportedly set on fire, while voting did not take place in many constituencies where candidates were elected unopposed.

With a voter turnout of just 39.8 per cent, the Awami League secured an overwhelming majority, winning 232 of the 300 parliamentary seats, nearly half without contest. As Bangladesh heads into the 2026 election, the violence and controversy of 2014 continue to shape public debate, underscoring the high stakes surrounding electoral credibility and political stability.

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