Polls have opened for Bangladesh’s first election since the 2024 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
This is the first election without Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, barred from running after a student-led uprising toppled her 15-year rule.
Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is a leading contender to form the next government. He is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in self-exile in London.
More than 300,000 security personnel have been deployed for the polls in the South Asian nation of 170 million people, with polls set to close at 4:30 pm (1030 GMT).
Voters head to the polls seeking reform, eager to tackle corruption, unemployment, and other issues that defined the Awami League era.
The 2024 protests, sparked by opposition to job quotas, spiralled into nationwide violence, leaving over 1,400 dead, mostly at the hands of security forces.
Hasina, criticised for authoritarian crackdowns on opponents, resigned on August 5, 2024, and went into exile in India.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed leadership of an interim government on August 8, 2024, tasked with restoring order and organising elections.
Under the caretaker administration, reforms have been launched, including a July National Charter proposing constitutional changes, to be decided alongside the parliamentary vote.
Analysts see the election as a chance to reset Bangladesh’s democratic order after years of alleged rigging and repression under the Awami League.
More than 2,000 candidates are contesting 300 parliamentary seats on February 12, with over 27 percent aged between 25 and 44.
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Source: TRT