Bangladesh will return to league of democratic nations in 2026, says German envoy

Bangladesh will hold the biggest democratic elections in the world in 2026 and the country will return into the league of democratic nations in Asia and in the world. 

German Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Rüdiger Lotz said this yesterday (12 November) speaking at the reception of German Unity Day in the Franco-German Embassy in the capital.

Dr Rüdiger Lotz said that more than 12.6 crore people will cast votes in the coming national election. Thus, with all likelihood, the country will return to the league of democratic nations in Asia and in the world. At a time when democracy has a difficult stand in so many regions of this planet, this will be proof, to quote Abraham Lincoln, that government of the people, by the people, for the people will not perish from the earth. 

He said, "A successful democratic election in Bangladesh will have its impact far beyond the borders of your country."

"Germany stands ready to work with Bangladesh to enhance relations even further. This is all the more true as Bangladesh is in a crucial phase right now. We commend the interim government for the work it has done. What is key now is to ensure a good election process and to make sure that the country will see fair, free and, credible elections. I have seen the great efforts in this direction by all stakeholders involved," he added.

"In the past year we have already seen a number of high-ranking visitors from Germany, such as the vice-minister for economic co-operation and development who came to visit in October. Meetings between Prof. Yunus and our Chancellor had taken place. I am confident that we will see an even closer exchange in the future as Bangladesh increasingly becomes a key partner in Asia and a pillar of regional stability," he further added.

Among the many fields of common interests are global challenges such as climate change. Since independence Germany has granted more than 3.5 billion Euro for development cooperation; and we stand firm to continue this engagement.

Germany and Bangladesh have had very close ties since 1971. Trade exchange has reached more than 9 billion Euro. Germany is the second largest bilateral trade partner for Bangladeshi exports. More than 20% of textile imports to Germany are produced here in Bangladesh. Other sectors quickly gain importance, including agrobusiness, pharma, logistics.

Bangladesh should clear rules and regulations, ensure good governance and improve infrastructure to woo foreign investment. Bangladesh is a country with impressive growth rates, an emerging middle class of 40 million people, a young population and a wonderful geo-economic location, he said.

"One of the goals of my tenure will be to attract more business, to bring more companies to the country in order to see the huge opportunities Bangladesh offers. I am confident Bangladesh will address meanwhile some of the issues that have to be in order to make business easier for foreign partners, such as clear rules and regulations, good governance and an improved infrastructure."

At a time when European and in particular German companies are looking for new partners in Asia, I see ample room still for a far bigger trade exchange and investment, the German diplomat said.

"Germany is also delighted to see the increased interest for cultural exchange and the great work Goethe-Institute, DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) and others are doing. One wonderful development I see is the huge interest of students from Bangladesh to study in Germany; by now already 7,000 Bangladeshis do so. If done in the right way, this is a win-win-situation for all!"

Social Welfare Adviser of the interim government Sharmeen Murshid was present on the occasion as the chief guest. Leading business leaders, politicians, scholars, top civil and military bureaucrats, scholars, members of the civil society and the press attended the reception among others.

Dr Rüdiger Lotz has been in Dhaka since July 2025, Consul General in Karachi, Pakistan during 2022–2025 and Regional Coordinator for Refugees and Migration, German Embassy in Ankara during 2016–2018.