CRS Report 2026 - Recent Political Developments in Bangladesh: Background and Issues for Congress
On February 12, 2026, Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority South Asian country of 176 million, held parliamentary elections and a concurrent referendum. Sixty-eight percent of voters endorsed the July National Charter, which proposed changes to “reconstruct the state on the foundation of democracy and human dignity.”
Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority South Asian country bordering India and Burma (Myanmar) on the Bay of Bengal. The world’s eighth-most-populous country, with approximately 176 million people, it has a land area about the size of Iowa. Since winning independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh has faced many challenges, including political violence, weak governance, corruption, poverty, demographic and environmental strains, and Islamist militancy.