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Bangladesh began voting in its 13th parliamentary election across 299 seats under tight security following the removal of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The contest is mainly between the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, while the Awami League is absent.
High-Stakes Polling Begins in Bangladesh After Sheikh Hasina’s Removal
Dhaka: Voting for the 13th parliamentary election in Bangladesh began this morning. This is the first general election since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and is therefore considered extremely important. Voters are exercising their franchise amid tight security arrangements across the country. The Election Commission has appealed to citizens to vote fearlessly and to all political parties to maintain peace.
Voting began at 7:30 a.m. local time and will continue until 4:30 p.m. Voting is taking place in 299 of the 300 parliamentary seats, while one seat has been postponed due to the death of a candidate. Vote counting is expected to begin as soon as voting concludes. This time, a referendum on an 84-point reform package is also being held alongside the elections.
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The main contest in this election is expected to be between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its former ally, the Jamaat-e-Islami. The Awami League is out of the electoral fray due to its dissolution by the interim government. A total of 1,755 candidates from 50 political parties and 273 independents are contesting the elections. The BNP has fielded the highest number of candidates, 291, including 83 women. Of the approximately 127 million voters, 3.58 percent are voting for the first time, while approximately 800,000 citizens registered abroad will be able to vote through IT-based postal ballots.
A total of 1,981 candidates are contesting the parliamentary elections. These include approximately 1,700 candidates from various political parties and 249 independents. Women's participation appears to be limited - political parties have fielded 63 women candidates, while approximately 13 women are contesting as independents. Thus, the total number of women candidates is 76, which is considered significantly lower than the total number of candidates.
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Nearly 900,000 security personnel have been deployed to ensure a peaceful and fair election, in what is being described as the largest security deployment in the country's electoral history. Sensitive areas, including Dhaka, are being monitored with armored vehicles, rapid response teams, drones, and body cameras. A multi-layered security cordon has been established outside polling stations, and only authorized personnel are being allowed entry.
Following the death of Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Nuruzzaman Badal in the Sherpur-3 parliamentary constituency, the Election Commission has canceled voting there. The Commission stated that a new date for this constituency will be announced later, while voting is continuing as scheduled in all other constituencies.
