Bangladesh Parliamentary Elections Conclude with High Turnout After Hasina Ouster

Counting began in Bangladesh's parliamentary elections on Thursday after polls closed, following high voter turnout in the vote for a new government after the 2024 ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in student-led protests.

Election Commission senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed said nearly half of eligible voters had cast ballots by midday at over 36,000 polling centers, surpassing the 42% turnout of the previous election. Approximately 127-128 million people were eligible to vote for 300 of 350 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, with 50 reserved for women. A record number of over 50 parties, including more than 2,000 candidates, contested, though voting was postponed in one constituency due to a candidate's death.

The elections pit alliances led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), headed by Tarique Rahman, and Jamaat-e-Islami, led by Shafiqur Rahman, against each other. Both leaders expressed confidence in victory, with Rahman pledging to rebuild institutions and revive the economy. BNP's Tarique Rahman, who returned from 17 years in exile in London last December, is seen as a leading contender. Hasina's Awami League was barred from participating, and she remains in exile in India, recently sentenced in absentia to six months in prison for contempt of court by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal.

A simultaneous referendum addressed constitutional reforms, including a neutral interim government for elections, a bicameral parliament, increased women's representation, judicial independence, and a two-term limit for prime ministers. A caretaker government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has overseen the transition since Hasina's fall, amid economic challenges.

Heavy security with nearly 1 million personnel was deployed. No major violence was reported, though incidents included the death of a BNP leader or political activist in a scuffle outside a polling booth in Khulna, per Ariana News and Khaama Press, and injuries from a homemade bomb near a booth in Gopalganj, according to Ariana News. Voters described an enthusiastic, festive atmosphere, with one saying it felt like Eid after 17 years of freer voting.

Early trends were expected late Thursday, with results by Friday morning.