Bangladesh Heads To Crucial Parliamentary Elections After 18 Months Of Political Turmoil

Bangladesh is set to hold its crucial parliamentary elections on Thursday, nearly 18 months after the collapse of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule following massive nationwide protests.

Since her removal in August 2024, the country has been governed by an interim administration. The period has been marked by continued protests, the rise of hardline Islamic groups, and incidents of violence against minorities.

The political landscape is poised for a major shift with the formation of a democratically elected government. Many analysts project the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) as the likely winner.

Following the recent death of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the BNP is now led by her son Tarique Rahman, widely seen as the frontrunner for the Prime Minister’s post.

The BNP’s principal challenger is the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, a hardline Islamic party and former ally. While a BNP victory is widely predicted, observers say Jamaat-e-Islami could record its strongest performance yet.

Interim government Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has dissolved the Awami League and barred it from contesting. The party has termed the polls a staged election, and alleged that BNP, Jamaat, and their allies are ‘continuously pressuring and threatening’ members and citizens to ‘force them to go to the polls.’

Polling for the 13th National Parliament elections and the 2026 referendum will be held across 299 constituencies from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, with counting to begin immediately after.

Voter Turnout and Demographics

As per The Dhaka Tribune, over 127 million voters, including 62.88 million women, are eligible to vote.

Voters aged 18–37 make up about 44 per cent of the 127 million electorate. Notably, 2.7 million women have registered as first-time voters, compared to 1.87 million men.

The July National Charter proposes ‘sweeping constitutional reforms’, including a two-term prime ministerial limit and restoring a neutral caretaker system.

Authorities have deployed around 9,58,000 security personnel, including more than 1,00,000 army personnel, nationwide.

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