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By SM Najmus Sakib
DHAKA (AA) - People in Bangladesh are casting their ballots Thursday to elect a new government for the first time since a popular uprising ended the 15-year rule of the Awami League party.
More than 127.6 million people are eligible to vote and will also render their verdict on constitutional reforms.
Voting began at 7.30 am (0130GMT) and will continue for nine hours before closing at 4.30 pm (1030GMT).
The results are likely to trickle in by late Thursday local time as people elect 300 members of parliament through 42,000 voting centers across the nation.
A total of 51 political parties and 2,034 candidates are competing for parliamentary seats, including 275 independent contenders.
In addition to the 300 general seats where candidates are elected directly by the people, parliament includes 50 reserved seats for women, bringing the total size of the house to 350 members.
Leaders of all the major political parties, including Tarique Rahman of BNP and Shafiqur Rahman of Jamaat-e-Islami, voted in Dhaka.
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus also voted in the capital city. “Today is a day of joy for all of Bangladesh—a day of liberation. The end of our nightmare, the beginning of new dreams," Yunus told reporters after casting his ballot.
There are some 394 international observers, and about 197 foreign journalists covering the election, according to the Bangladesh Election Commission.
This is the 13th national election of the country, which also allowed Bangladeshi expats to vote through postal ballot for the first time since 1971.
- Vote for stability
The election across the country is largely peaceful.
“This voting, as the democratic process, is very crucial for the stability of Bangladesh,” Md Sona Mia, 44, who voted in the capital Dhaka, told Anadolu.
“We want the next government to work to free the country from corruption and the killings that occurred during the July 2024 uprising.”
Maqbul Kader, 76, a former banker, standing in a voting queue in Dhaka’s Gulshan neighborhood, said the elections were “a big opportunity to rebuild the country, to ensure security of the country, ensure economic development, and better survival of the low-income people.”
He emphasized a balanced diplomacy in the region, particularly considering the influence of China and India as well as the US.
- Heavy security
Heavy security arrangements are in place, with CCTV cameras installed in more than 90% of the electoral constituencies.
Some 958,000 personnel from various law enforcement agencies, including 100,000 soldiers, have been deployed to maintain law and order across Bangladesh.
Voting in one electoral constituency has been suspended due to the passing away of a candidate.
A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led alliance and a Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance are the two main contenders after the Awami League party of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was barred from the polls.
- Constitutional referendum
The referendum vote carries constitutional reforms, including a proposal to reinstate a neutral, non-party caretaker administration to oversee all future general elections.
Of the total voters, 45.9 million are young and first-time voters, many of whom dominated the 2024 popular movement dubbed the “July uprising” when Hasina fled the country and crossed into India, where she currently lives.
An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has overseen affairs since August 2024.
Last November, Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity committed during the uprising.
Up to 1,400 people were killed during demonstrations that ousted her government, according to UN data.
The National Citizen Party, which came into being after the 2024 youth movement, led by young activists who led the July Uprising, and some other smaller parties are contesting the election in alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami party.