How US-Linked Foreign NGOs Are Impacting Bangladesh's 2026 National Elections

As Bangladesh approaches its general elections in February, two foreign non-governmental organisations have resumed activities locally under the garb of “capacity building’, ‘electoral assistance’ and ‘democracy promotion’, sparking concerns over sovereignty and political interference.

According to an article by the Daily Observer , the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) are active as politically sensitive Bangladesh heads for elections. Their involvement with political parties, civil society groups, NGOs and media dates back to the 1990s.

Their funding largely comes from US government-linked sources like the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which have played