More than 127 million voters were called to the polls on Thursday in Bangladesh for legislative elections which should turn the page on the iron reign of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose party was declared outlawed. Its two historical opponents, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamists of Jamaat-e-Islami, are the big favorites in this election.

Published on: 02/12/2026 - 04:22 Modified on: 02/12/2026 - 1:56 p.m.

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Bangladesh voted on Thursday, February 12, to elect its deputies and turn the page on the fifteen years of the iron reign of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, swept away in 2024 by a deadly insurrection led by the young people of Generation Z.

Counting began at 4:30 p.m. (10:30 GMT) in most polling stations, immediately after the polls closed. The first trends should be known next night and the final results should be announced Friday morning, Electoral Commission officials said.

As soon as polling stations opened at 7:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. GMT), many voters in the capital Dhaka rushed to place their ballots in the ballot box. “I have not voted since 1991 (...), I am delighted to be the first to vote today,” declared one of them, Nur Alam Shamim, who presented himself at dawn in his office at the New Model Degree College.

Sheikh Hasina's party having been declared outlawed, its two historical opponents, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamists of Jamaat-e-Islami, are presented as the big favorites.

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Heir to a long political dynasty, BNP leader Tarique Rahman, 60, is favored by predictions to lead the future government. Confident, he told AFP he hoped for "a clear mandate from the people" to rebuild a country he said was "destroyed" by the old regime.

A tense, sometimes violent campaign

Facing him, the leader of the Jamaat Shafiqur Rahman, 67, who experienced the jails of Sheikh Hasina, has taken the head of a coalition and aims to become the first Islamist Prime Minister in the history of Bangladesh, a country that is 90% Muslim. Throughout his speeches, he spoke moderately, including on the place of women in society, and promised jobs and an end to corruption. On Thursday, he promised to “do whatever it takes” for transparent elections.

More than 127 million Bangladeshis were called to elect the 350 members of the single house of Parliament. Tense, sometimes violent, the campaign also took place with a fervor unprecedented since the election of Sheikh Hasina in 2009. The following ballots were all shunned by the opposition or distorted by massive fraud.

Spearheading the deadly riots in the summer of 2024, young people - 18-37 year olds make up 44% of the electorate - hope for profound changes, in a country with a broken economy and sick of corruption. “Before, I wasn’t going to vote,” Md Shezar, a 26-year-old student at the university in the capital Dhaka, told AFP. “This time, I hope the election will be fair, so I’m going home to put my ballot in the ballot box.”

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“The significance of this day is considerable,” said Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, head of the provisional government which took over the country in the summer of 2024, during a televised speech. Aged 85, the microfinance pioneer announced his resignation as soon as the results of the election were announced.

As a political testament, he obtained from the political parties the adoption of a series of institutional reforms - two mandates of Prime Minister maximum, second chamber in Parliament - intended to strengthen democracy. This “July Charter” is submitted to the Bangladeshis for approval by referendum on Thursday.

No voting instructions from Sheikh Hassina

The outcome of the legislative vote remains very uncertain. From her Indian exile, Sheikh Hasina, sentenced to death for the repression of the 2024 revolt, did not give any voting instructions to the usual voters of her banned party, whose attitude will be one of the great unknowns of the election.

"The challenge for Bangladesh now is to ensure that this election is honest and impartial, and for all parties to accept the results," said analyst Thomas Kean of the International Crisis Group (ICG).

The electoral commission is committed to ensuring a regular vote and is counting on high participation. The provisional government has deployed great resources to ensure the smooth running of electoral operations. More than 300,000 soldiers, police and other members of the security forces have been mobilized.

With AFP

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