Dhaka: Election authorities in Bangladesh are in the process of counting votes from Thursday's general elections, marking the first such event since the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overthrown in 2024. The elections proceeded with a voter turnout of 47.9% across 36,000 polling stations, as reported by Akhtar Ahmed, senior secretary of the Bangladesh Election Commission. Final voter turnout figures will be available once all election centers have submitted their data.
According to Anadolu Agency, the election day was largely peaceful despite isolated incidents, including one reported death and two small Molotov cocktail attacks in Chauddagram, eastern Bangladesh, and another incident at a polling station in Gopalganj Sadar. The death in question involved a man in Bhairab, Kishoreganj, as reported by the daily Prothom Alo. The election saw a few injuries as well.
Over 127.6 million people were eligible to vote in both the general election and a referendum on constitutional reforms. The voting process, which began at 7.30 am (0130GMT) and concluded at 4.30 pm (1030GMT), was conducted under heavy security with the deployment of approximately one million security personnel. Long queues were observed outside polling stations, indicating active public participation.
Results are expected to start coming in by late Thursday local time as 300 members of parliament are elected nationwide. A total of 51 political parties and 2,034 candidates, including 275 independent contenders, are vying for parliamentary seats. In addition to the 300 general seats directly elected by the public, parliament has 50 reserved seats for women, making up a total of 350 members.
The main competitors in the elections were alliances led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, after the Awami League party of the ousted Prime Minister Hasina was banned from participating. Key political figures, including Tarique Rahman of the BNP and Shafiqur Rahman of Jamaat-e-Islami, cast their votes early Thursday in Dhaka. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus also voted and expressed optimism, stating, "Today is a day of joy for all of Bangladesh-a day of liberation. The end of our nightmare, the beginning of new dreams."
The Bangladesh Election Commission reported that around 394 international observers and approximately 197 foreign journalists are monitoring the election process.