Bangladesh’s two dominant political parties, the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, are mired in internal crises as Jamaat-e-Islami expands its reach ahead of an uncertain national election.
The Awami League remains banned from political activity after last year’s unrest, leaving its leadership scattered and unable to regroup. The BNP is struggling with an internal power struggle that observers say has escalated into a slow-moving civil war inside the party.
The vacuum has strengthened Jamaat-e-Islami, whose organizational network and campus victories have raised its national profile.
Political analyst Nurul Kabir said Jamaat’s rise is the result of steady work that other parties failed to confront. “Jamaat’s influence in society has increased,” Kabir said. “Support has also increased.”
With both major parties in disarray, analysts say Jamaat is positioned to shape voter behavior if an election occurs.