A total of 2,582 candidates submitted nomination papers to contest the 13th general election slated for February 12, 2026 from the country's 300 constituencies. As many as 3,407 aspirants collected nomination papers, but 2,582 filed nominations by the deadline of December 29, according to the Election Commission's central coordination committee. Most aspirants submitted their nomination papers on the final day, as only 166 were submitted till the day before.

No incident of violence was reported anywhere in the country in connection with the submission of nomination papers on the final day. The aspiring candidates span 51 of the country's 59 registered political parties, and include 478 independent candidates. The BNP, Jamaat, and Jatiya Party have the highest number of aspirants - over 200 each. The Election Commission is now scrutinising the nomination papers before finalising the list of valid candidates for the polls.

The government significantly reduced customs duty on mobile phone imports, cutting it from 25 percent to 10 percent, following a decision taken at a meeting of the Advisory Council. The move represents a reduction of nearly 60 percent and is aimed at facilitating the full implementation of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) while easing pressure on consumers and legitimate businesses.

Under the new decision, customs duty for locally manufactured mobile handsets has also been lowered-from 10 percent to 5 percent-marking a 50 percent reduction. The government believes the measures will encourage both lawful imports and domestic production, ultimately bringing mobile phone prices down to a more affordable level for consumers, according to the Posts, Telecommunication and ICT Ministry. Compared to other imported goods such as vehicles, electrical appliances and computers, the customs duty on mobile handsets has now been reduced to a notably lower level.

Remittance inflows hit $32.8 billion in 2025, the highest annual figure in the history of Bangladesh. The amount is 22 percent higher than the previous year's $26.88 billion, according to data released by Bangladesh Bank. In December, inward remittance stood at $3.22 billion, posting 22 percent year-on-year growth-the highest in nine months. The gross foreign exchange reserves crossed $33 billion for the first time in three years since the fiscal year 2021-22, a sign of the country's increasing capacity to cover import bills for a longer period.

Readily usable reserves stood at $28.5 billion on December 30. It means that Bangladesh can cover import payments for more than five months. The country's monthly import bill is more than $5.5 billion, according to BB data. Forex reserves, which had crossed $48 billion in August 2021, began to fall amid pent-up demand for imports following the removal of Covid restrictions and rising commodity prices in the global market.

The BNP expelled nine leaders for violating party decisions and conducting organisational activities independently. They include Rumeen Farhana, co-secretary for international affairs of the BNP's National Executive Committee; Saiful Alam (Nirab), former convener of Dhaka Metropolitan North BNP; and Hasan Mamun, member of the Central Executive Committee. These leaders have been expelled from all levels of the party, including their primary membership.

All three have filed as independent candidates in the 13th national parliamentary election. In Rumeen Farhana's constituency, Brahmanbaria-2, BNP has announced Maulana Junaid Al Habib, central vice president of the ally party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, as its candidate. Saiful Alam was initially nominated by BNP for the Dhaka-12 constituency. Later, the party gave the seat to Saiful Haque, general secretary of another alliance partner, the Revolutionary Workers Party. For the Patuakhali-3 constituency, which includes Golachipa and Dashmina, BNP gave the nomination to Nurul Haque, president of another alliance partner, Gono Odhikar Parishad. Hasan Mamun had been preparing to run from there.