Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Bangladesh held its first election on Thursday since the 2024 popular uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government. Although the polling was largely peaceful, it was seen as a key test of the country’s democracy after three decades of political turmoil.
The vote was for the country’s 13th parliamentary election, with 300 parliamentary constituencies going to the polls, as well as a referendum on a complex 84-point reform package. Senior Election Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said 47.91 percent of votes had been cast by midday on Thursday, state news agency BSS reported. Polling ended at 4:30 p.m. and counting began immediately, with results expected later today.
The election was a direct contest between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a former ally of the Jamaat-e-Islami, while ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League was not in the fray.
Voters show ink marks on their fingers after casting their votes during the parliamentary elections in Dhaka.
TB Bangladesh Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus casts his vote in Dhaka. BNP Chairman Tariq Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, also casts his vote in Dhaka.
