Bangladesh counts votes in historic post-uprising election, Yunus hails 'liberation'

2026-02-12 - 11:55

Bangladesh's Election Commission is processing ballots from Thursday's watershed parliamentary election, the nation's first democratic exercise since the 2024 mass protests that ended Awami League's decade-and-a-half rule. Preliminary turnout stood at 47.9% across 36,000 polling stations, with final figures pending completion of counting from all centers, according to senior election secretary Akhtar Ahmed. Peaceful Atmosphere Despite Isolated Incidents The electoral process proceeded largely without disruption, though authorities reported two minor Molotov cocktail attacks in Chauddagram and Gopalganj Sadar, and one fatality in Kishoreganj's Bhairab area. Approximately one million security personnel were deployed nationwide, with long queues observed outside polling stations throughout the nine-hour voting period. International observers and foreign journalists numbering nearly 600 monitored the proceedings. Political Landscape and Key Contenders With the Awami League barred from participation, the main contest unfolded between Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led and Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliances. BNP's Tarique Rahman and Jamaat's Shafiqur Rahman cast their ballots early in Dhaka. Over 2,000 candidates, including 275 independents, contested 300 directly elected parliamentary seats, with an additional 50 seats constitutionally reserved for women. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, voting in the capital, told reporters: "Today is a day of joy for all of Bangladesh—a day of liberation. The end of our nightmare, the beginning of new dreams." Referendum and Path Forward Voters simultaneously decided on constitutional reforms, including reinstatement of a neutral caretaker administration for future elections. Results are expected to emerge late Thursday as the nation awaits its first democratically elected government since the July 2024 uprising claimed approximately 1,400 lives and sent former Prime Minister Hasina into Indian exile.