Bangladesh’s Parliament Election Sees Millions Cast Votes Following Political Upheaval
Bangladesh witnessed a historic parliamentary election on Thursday, with tens of millions of voters participating in the nation’s first ballot since the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2024.
The vote marks a pivotal moment for the country’s democracy after years of political unrest and violent crackdowns.
By mid-morning, polling stations in Dhaka and across the country were filling steadily, with voting scheduled to continue throughout the day. Results are expected on Friday.
More than 127 million eligible voters are taking part, in what is the first major election since Hasina fled to India amid widespread protests that claimed hundreds of young demonstrators’ lives. Hasina has been sentenced to death in absentia, and her party is barred from contesting the election.
Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has emerged as a frontrunner to form the next government. Son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Rahman returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years of self-imposed exile in London.
He has pledged to strengthen democratic institutions, restore the rule of law, and tackle the country’s economic challenges.
The BNP faces competition from an 11-party coalition led by Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party, which was previously banned under Hasina’s administration. After voting, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman told reporters: “This election is a turning point. People demand change. They desire change. We also desire change.”
The vote is being overseen by an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, which has pledged to ensure a free and transparent process.
Approximately 500 international observers and foreign journalists, including delegations from the European Union and the Commonwealth, are monitoring the proceedings. Yunus himself cast his ballot at a polling station in Dhaka.
Bangladesh’s 350-seat Parliament includes 300 directly elected representatives and 50 seats reserved for women. Following a recent postponement in one constituency due to a candidate’s death, 299 seats are being contested in this election.
The results have the potential to reshape Bangladesh’s political landscape, a country whose post-independence history since 1971 has been marked by entrenched political parties, military interventions, and contested elections.
Young voters, including five million first-time participants who were instrumental in the 2024 uprising, are expected to play a decisive role in determining the outcome.
