Polls have closed across Bangladesh in what many citizens see as the most consequential election in nearly two decades, a vote that could determine whether the country turns a page on years of political repression and restores trust in its democratic institutions.
Voting ended on Thursday after a day marked by tight security and cautious optimism. Nearly 48 percent of the country’s 127 million registered voters had cast their ballots by 2pm local time, according to figures released by the Bangladesh Election Commission from 36,031 polling centres nationwide. Officials said turnout continued steadily into the afternoon.
The election comes less than two years after longtime leader Sheikh Hasina was forced from office in a student-led uprising that left hundreds dead and shook the foundations of the state. For many voters, the ballot represents more than a contest between parties. It is a test of whether Bangladesh can hold what observers describe as its first genuinely competitive poll since 2008.
The main contest pits the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, against a coalition led by Jamaat e Islami that includes the National Citizens Party, a group formed by youth activists who played a central role in the protests that led to Hasina’s ouster.
The two leading contenders for prime minister reflect sharply different political traditions. BNP candidate Tarique Rahman, a political heir with a long career in opposition politics, has campaigned on an anticorruption platform and promises institutional reform. His main rival, Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman, is seeking to reposition his once marginalised Islamist party as a credible and modern force for change.
Hundreds of thousands of security personnel were deployed across the country to prevent violence and intimidation, practices that marred previous elections. Past polls during Hasina’s 15 years in power were criticised by opposition parties and international observers for boycotts, arrests, and alleged ballot manipulation.
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AMM Nasir Uddin, the chief election commissioner, said authorities were determined to break with that history. “We must forget the history of centre-grabbing and ballot-box capture,” he told reporters, adding that Bangladesh had “boarded the train of democracy” and was moving towards its destination.
Voters in Dhaka spoke of a rare sense of possibility. Jainab Lutfun Naher, casting her ballot in the Gulshan area, described the moment as both emotional and empowering. “I want this country to prosper,” she said. “I want it to be democratic, where everyone has rights and freedom.” She told Al Jazeera.
Alongside the general election, Bangladeshis are also voting in a referendum on constitutional reforms drafted by the caretaker government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. He stepped in as interim leader after the 2024 uprising with a mandate to restore credibility to the electoral process and to build consensus on reforms designed to balance power among state institutions.
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Hasina, now 78, was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity over the deadly crackdown on protesters in her final months in office. She remains in India. Her Awami League party has been barred from participating in the election.
The stakes are high. A credible outcome could help stabilise a country of more than 170 million people and restore confidence among investors and international partners. A disputed result could deepen divisions that have already cost lives.
