Bangladeshis are set to vote on Thursday in the first elections since the deadly 2024 uprising, with parties marginalized under Sheikh Hasina's government returning to the fray against a powerful political heir leading an Islamist-backed coalition. Long lines formed at voting centers in the capital, Dhaka, as voting began across the country.

First modification: 02/12/2026 - 06:46

Bangladeshis went to the polls on Thursday in the first elections since the deadly 2024 uprising, as parties repressed under Sheikh Hasina return to the race, with an influential political heir facing an Islamist-led coalition.

Lines stretched outside voting centers in the capital, Dhaka, as voting opened in this highly anticipated election in the South Asian nation of 170 million inhabitants.

More than 300,000 soldiers and police have been deployed across the country, while UN experts warned before the vote of “growing intolerance, threats and attacks”, and a “tsunami of disinformation”, especially aimed at millions of young people voting for the first time.

“I voted in 1991 and today, after many years, I cast my vote here,” said Nur Alam Shamim, 50, who was the first voter at the New Model Degree College in Dhaka-10 constituency.

Shithi Goswami, 21, a student at Dhaka City College, lined up early to avoid the crowds.

“This was my first vote and I hope that, after everything we have experienced in the last few years, now is the time for something positive,” he said.

Leading prime ministerial contender Tarique Rahman, 60, is confident his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) can regain power, but faces a tough challenge from the country's largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami.

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Jamaat leader Shafiqur Rahman, 67, has waged a disciplined grassroots campaign and, if victorious, the former politician could head the first Islamist-led government in constitutionally secular Bangladesh.

Polls vary widely, although most give the BNP an advantage, with some pointing to a very close race.

“Determine the future”

“The significance of this day is far-reaching,” declared interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who will step down once the new government takes power, in his address to the nation before the vote.

“It will determine the future direction of the country, the character of its democracy, its durability and the destiny of the next generation,” he said.

The 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner has led the South Asian nation since Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule ended with her dismissal in August 2024. Her administration has prevented the Awami League from participating in these elections.

Hasina, 78, was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity following the bloody crackdown on protesters in the final months of her mandate and remains a refugee in neighboring India.

Yunus has also promoted a broad charter of democratic reforms to transform what he called a “completely broken” system of government and avoid a return to one-party rule.

The 127 million voters will also decide in a referendum whether to back proposals to limit the prime minister's terms, create a new upper house of Parliament, strengthen presidential powers and bolster judicial independence.

Voters will directly elect 300 legislators, while another 50 women will be appointed from party lists.

The manual counting begins after the polls close at 16:30 (10:30 GMT). In previous elections, the results began to be known hours later, although this time the counting also includes the referendum ballots.

“The crucial test for Bangladesh now will be to ensure that the election is conducted fairly and impartially, and that all parties then accept the result,” said Thomas Kean, an analyst at the International Crisis Group.

Police records show that five people were killed and more than 600 injured in political clashes during the campaign.

“Fair and inclusive”

The next government will inherit a battered economy in the world's second-largest garment exporter, along with delicate relations with neighboring India.

The BNP's Rahman – whose parents also led the country – told AFP that his first priority, if elected, will be to restore security and stability, although he warned that the challenges are enormous.

“The economy has been destroyed,” he said. "There are a large number of unemployed. We need to create companies so that these young people have work."

But his Islamist rivals, who have campaigned on a platform focused on justice and ending corruption, see their biggest opportunity in decades.

“We want to build a country of unity with everyone on board,” the Jamaat leader said in his final campaign speech. “It will be a country where no one has the driver's seat because of their family origin.”

About 10% of Bangladesh's population is non-Muslim, mostly Hindu.

In his last speech before the vote, Yunus urged citizens to honor the “sacrifice” of the 2024 uprising and to put the “national interest above personal and party agendas.”

“Victory is part of democracy; defeat is also an inevitable part,” he said. “Dedicate yourself to building a new, just and inclusive Bangladesh.”

This article is an adaptation of its original in English

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