Dhaka, Feb 12: Vote counting is underway in Bangladesh after citizens cast ballots in crucial general elections to elect a new government, replacing the interim administration that took office following the collapse of the Awami League regime in August 2024.
The 13th parliamentary elections were held alongside a referendum on an 84-point reform package known as the July National Charter. Polling concluded at 4:30 pm local time, with counting starting immediately.
Voting continued in stations where people were still in line. Election officials said initial results could be available overnight.
The elections are primarily a contest between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami, following the absence of Sheikh Hasina’s now-disbanded Awami League.
Both parties expressed confidence in victory while emphasizing that results must be free, fair, and impartial. BNP’s prime ministerial candidate Tarique Rahman said he expected his party to regain power after over 15 years, stressing the need for timely result announcements.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman highlighted the importance of accepting results derived from a fair process. Both parties reported isolated incidents of vote manipulation and attacks on polling agents.
Security for the elections was unprecedented, with nearly one million personnel deployed nationwide, including 900,000 law enforcement officers.
Armored vehicles, Rapid Action Teams, drones, and body-worn cameras were used to maintain order.
Approximately 127 million voters, including five million first-time voters, were registered across 42,779 polling centers in 299 constituencies, with one constituency election canceled due to a candidate’s death.
A total of 1,755 candidates from 50 political parties and 273 independents contested, including 83 female candidates.
The election marked the first in decades without a prominent female leader, following the barring of Hasina and the death of Khaleda Zia.
Awami League criticized the elections as a “well-planned farce” and demanded free, fair, and inclusive polls under a neutral caretaker government.
Analysts observed that many AL supporters voted due to ground realities and to avoid persecution. The referendum, promoted by interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, could allow the new Parliament to establish a constitutional reform council to implement sweeping amendments to the 1972 Constitution if the “yes” vote prevails.
Reports of violence included at least four deaths from illness near polling stations, hand bomb attacks, and clashes between party activists.
In Dhaka, police arrested a Jamaat leader for buying votes, and seven polling stations in Gopalganj were disrupted by crude bomb explosions. Election monitoring involved 55,454 observers from 81 local organizations and 394 foreign monitors.
Despite these incidents, authorities maintained that voting proceeded under strict security and oversight, making the elections a critical test for Bangladesh’s democratic and political future. (PTI)
