Bangladesh Nationalist Party

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, romanized: Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Dal), abbreviated as BNP (Bengali: [ˈbijenpi]), is a major political party in Bangladesh. It is one of the two contemporary mainstream parties in the country, alongside the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and the ruling party since 2026. The BNP is a big tent party that has been cited as being on the centre and centre-right, with Bangladeshi nationalism as its central ideology. Initially self-described as fiscally socialist, the party has since promoted economic liberalism and supports a free-market economy with limited intervention. The party tends to consolidate votes based on complete independence of Bangladeshi territory and a mix of Bengali and Islamic customs.

Known as the "Party of the Freedom Fighters of the Battlefield" during its establishment, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was founded on 1 September 1978 by President Ziaur Rahman and remained in his leadership until he was assassinated in 1981. Following Rahman's assassination, his widow, Khaleda Zia, took over leadership of the party and presided as chairperson until her imprisonment in 2018. From 2018 until 2025, Tarique Rahman, the son of Rahman and Zia, ran the affairs of the party as the acting chairperson. Upon Zia's death in 2025, Rahman became the chairperson of the party.

Since its founding, the BNP has won the 1981, 1991, and 2001 presidential elections, and the 1979, 1991, February 1996, 2001, and 2026 Jatiya Sangsad elections. BNP members Ziaur Rahman, Abdus Sattar, Abdur Rahman Biswas, A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury, and Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar have served as the country's president, while Mashiur Rahman, Shah Azizur Rahman, Khaleda Zia, and Tarique Rahman have served as the country's prime minister. Ziaur Rahman-led governments formed under the semi-presidential system and the parliamentary republics were led by Khaleda Zia, who served as prime minister. Begum Zia, who served as the party's chairperson from 1983, became the first woman prime minister of Bangladesh and the second female prime minister of a Muslim-majority country after Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto. The party holds the record of being the largest opposition in the history of parliamentary elections of the country with 116 seats in the general election of June 1996.

The BNP has faced sustained criticism for corruption, political violence, and poor governance, particularly during its 2001–2006 tenure, with controversies such as the August 21 grenade attack, the 10-truck arms haul, and Hawa Bhaban's alleged role as a parallel power center. The party's affiliated wings have been repeatedly accused of extortion and violence, including a 2025 daylight murder linked to its student and youth fronts, further deepening public discontent and damaging the BNP's reputation.