According to reports, Bangladesh’s nationwide parliamentary elections began at 7:30 a.m. local time today (Thursday).
Polling stations across the country have opened for voters in the parliamentary elections, with approximately 127 million people eligible to cast their ballots.
Citizens lined up in long queues at polling stations to participate in the elections, which are being held following the removal of Sheikh Hasina after the 2024 student uprising.
The report states that the elections are being contested between two main alliances: the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by Tarique Rahman — the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia — and Jamaat-e-Islami led by Shafiqur Rahman.
According to reports, Tarique Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh last December after 17 years of self-imposed exile in London, is considered one of the leading contenders to form the next government.
Rahman has pledged to rebuild democratic institutions, restore the rule of law, and revive the struggling economy.
Voters will directly elect 300 out of the 350 parliamentary seats, while 50 seats reserved for women will be allocated by the ruling party or the victorious alliance.
It is noteworthy that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who held power for 15 years, fled Bangladesh for India by plane after student protests intensified and demonstrators occupied the Prime Minister’s residence.
Recently, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Sheikh Hasina to six months in prison on charges of “contempt of court.”
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