Historic Elections in Bangladesh Amidst Democratic Upheaval

Fri Feb 13 2026 04:41:03 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Bangladesh holds its first elections since the 2024 protests ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as voters face significant political turmoil and constitutional change.

Votes are being counted in Bangladesh following the nation's first elections after the 2024 student-led protests that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. With over 2,000 candidates vying for parliament seats and a significant police presence, the election represents a critical moment in Bangladesh's political landscape. The central contest lies between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and an Islamist coalition, while voters also consider a referendum on constitutional changes.

Votes are being counted in Bangladesh after the country held its first election since student-led protests ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024.

More than 2,000 candidates are vying for a seat in parliament, though none from Hasina's now-banned Awami League party.

As many as 1,400 protesters were killed during the 2024 uprising, according to the UN, with Hasina accused of having directly ordered the crackdown, an allegation she denies.

The election pits the centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) against a coalition led by the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, which has joined forces with a party born out of the student uprising. Results are expected on Friday.

Voters were also casting their ballots in a referendum on constitutional change proposed by the interim government to fix what it has called a completely broken political system.

Nearly a million police and soldiers have been deployed to maintain law and order.

Speaking after voting, interim leader Muhammad Yunus stated that the country had ended the nightmare and begun a new dream. He voted in the capital Dhaka, along with leading candidates Tarique Rahman for the BNP and Jamaat's leader Shafiqur Rahman.