02/12/2026, 10:4502/12/2026, 10:45
Elections for a new parliament have begun in Bangladesh. A good year and a half after the fall of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the early election is also seen as a test for an orderly democratic transition in the poor, predominantly Muslim country in South Asia. Almost 128 million people are called upon to cast their vote.
Sheikh Hasina fell a year and a half ago.Image: keystone
Center-right alliance against conservative-religious alliance
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is on the right of the political center, and its partners are the favorites in the election. Their top candidate and promising candidate for the office of the next head of government is Tarique Rahman, a son of the former prime minister and long-time Hasina rival Khaleda Zia. But recent polls suggested it could be a close race with the country’s largest Islamist party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and the conservative religious alliance it leads.
The election is about the distribution of 350 parliamentary seats. Of these, 300 are directly elected, 50 seats are reserved for women.
Elections are taking place in Bangladesh.Image: keystone
Hope for stability
Many people in the country, which has a population of around 175 million, associate the election with hope for political stability and economic recovery. Bangladesh is one of the most important locations for the global clothing industry. In addition to public safety, jobs and other economic issues, an important issue in the election campaign was the fight against corruption.
After mass protests against the government and bloody clashes between demonstrators and security forces, the increasingly authoritarian Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to neighboring India in August 2024, which has since granted her protection. Since then, her Awami League party, which won the election seven months before Hasina’s flight, has been banned from political activities and the organization’s candidates have not been allowed to run in the election. After Hasina’s escape, an interim government was set up under the leadership of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.
Referendum on constitutional and legal changes
Parallel to the election, citizens are called upon to vote in a referendum on planned constitutional and legal changes. The plan includes, among other things, a limit on the term of office of the Prime Minister and greater control of the government.
Across the country, almost 900,000 security forces, including soldiers and police officers, were supposed to ensure security when voting. The polling stations close at 4:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. CET). The first results are expected on Friday night (local time). (dab/sda/dpa)