Bangladesh began counting votes Thursday night after what officials and witnesses described as the country’s first genuinely competitive national election in years and the first since the 2024 youth-led uprising that ended the long rule of Sheikh Hasina.
Polling opened at 7:30am and closed at 4:30pm nationwide, with counting beginning shortly after the close. By mid-afternoon, the Election Commission reported turnout at about 48 percent by 2pm, a figure that local and international reporting said already exceeded participation levels seen in recent elections under the previous system.
The contest places the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman, against an alliance headed by Jamaat-e-Islami. The Awami League, which dominated national politics for more than a decade, was barred from participating by the interim authorities. Alongside parliamentary races, voters also decided a referendum on constitutional reforms that officials framed as a reset for institutions they said had been weakened under the prior government.
Across Dhaka, accounts from polling centers described long morning queues, including elderly voters who arrived with assistance and younger, first-time voters who said they viewed the day as a long-delayed civic milestone. Several voters and local officials compared the atmosphere to a festival, reflecting relief at being able to cast ballots without intimidation after years of disputed elections.
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus voted in the capital and called the day a national turning point, language echoed in government statements praising voters and election workers.
Polls closed at 4:30pm, and authorities said results are expected Friday. One constituency, Sherpur-3, did not vote after a candidate died earlier in the month. A new schedule will be announced.
Officials and major wire services described the day as largely peaceful, supported by a heavy deployment of security forces estimated between 900,000 and 958,000 personnel nationwide, including visible patrols in Dhaka. Scattered incidents were reported, including isolated clashes and what authorities described as an explosive incident in one area. The Election Commission said it would act if credible evidence of irregularities emerged.