Bangladesh witnessed a historic parliamentary election on Thursday, with tens of millions of voters participating in the country’s first vote since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government fell in 2024. The election marks a key moment for the nation’s democracy following years of political unrest and deadly crackdowns.
Polling stations in Dhaka and across the country gradually filled by mid morning, with voting scheduled to conclude later in the day. Results are expected on Friday. Over 127 million eligible voters are taking part, marking the first major election since Hasina fled to India amid widespread protests that left hundreds of young demonstrators dead. She 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. The son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Rahman returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years of self imposed exile in London. He has promised 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. After voting, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman told reporters:
“It (the election)is a turning point. People demand change. They desire change. We also desire the change.”
The election is being overseen by an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, which has pledged a fair and transparent process. Around 500 international observers and foreign journalists, including delegations from the European Union and the Commonwealth, are monitoring proceedings. Yunus himself cast his ballot at a Dhaka polling station.
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 vote.
The results could fundamentally reshape Bangladesh, 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 played a key role in the 2024 uprising, are expected to influence the outcome.
Ademide Adebayo
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