Virtually 127 million registered voters are casting their ballots throughout Bangladesh in a pivotal election seen as a serious take a look at of the nation’s democratic restoration following the student-led rebellion that compelled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from energy in August 2024.
Polling stations opened at 7:30 am native time in 299 constituencies and can stay open till 4:30 pm, with safety forces deployed closely throughout city and rural areas to stop unrest.
The race is primarily between the Bangladesh Nationalist Celebration (BNP) and an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami. The coalition contains the Nationwide Residents Celebration (NCP), established by youth leaders who performed a central position in final 12 months’s protests that ended Hasina’s lengthy tenure.
Voters are centered on urgent considerations resembling corruption, hovering residing prices, job creation and broader financial reform on the planet’s eighth most populous nation. Alongside the parliamentary vote, residents are additionally deciding on the proposed Nationwide Constitution 2025, drafted by the interim administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which goals to stipulate ideas for future governance.
Though Hasina’s Awami League has largely vanished from lively politics, Bangladesh continues to resemble a two-bloc system. The Jamaat-led alliance has successfully stepped into the area left vacant by the Awami League.
Regardless of that continuity, BNP chief Tarique Rahman broadly thought of the frontrunner might introduce shifts in course. Though he comes from a distinguished political household, Rahman has pledged to strengthen democratic establishments and restructure governance. On the identical time, critics observe his vow to carry the Awami League accountable for alleged abuses throughout its years in energy.
Suspending the Awami League raises considerations in a liberal democratic framework, suggesting {that a} formal reality and reconciliation course of may need offered a extra balanced method to addressing previous grievances.
Bangladesh operates as a parliamentary republic. Government authority lies with the prime minister and the cupboard, whereas the president serves as ceremonial head of state and is elected by parliament for a five-year time period.
The prime minister, usually the chief of the bulk get together or coalition, appoints cupboard members, directs authorities coverage and oversees administration. Legislative energy is held by the Jatiya Sangsad, the 350-seat parliament comprising 300 straight elected representatives and 50 seats reserved for girls, allotted proportionally based on get together vote share.
The nation is administratively divided into eight divisions, 64 districts and 495 subdistrict councils often known as upazilas. Whereas native authorities oversee providers resembling training, infrastructure and rural packages, they continue to be financially and politically depending on the central authorities.
Dwelling to greater than 173 million individuals, Bangladesh ranks because the eighth most populous nation on the planet and among the many most densely populated, with about 1,366 individuals per sq. kilometer. Its inhabitants density far exceeds that of neighboring India and Pakistan.
The capital, Dhaka, is the most important metropolis, with greater than 37 million residents surpassing the populations of a number of medium-sized international locations.
Though greater than 2,000 candidates are competing in right this moment’s election, solely 109 are girls representing simply 4.24 p.c of the overall.
Of those girls candidates, 72 have been nominated by political events, whereas the remaining are operating as independents.
Reviews point out that 30 out of 51 political events didn’t nominate a single feminine candidate.
In January, the Bangladesh Girls’s Political Rights Discussion board criticized the low illustration and known as for accountability, urging events to adjust to the 5 p.c quota for girls candidates outlined within the nationwide constitution they agreed to final July.
This election marks the primary vote for almost 5 million new voters. With a big share of residents beneath 30 and virtually half of the voters aged between 18 and 37, younger voters are anticipated to play a decisive position in shaping the nation’s political future.
Shafiqur Rahman casts his poll
Shafiqur Rahman, chief of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami get together, forged his vote on the Dhaka-15 polling heart positioned at Monipur Boys’ Excessive College within the capital.
In latest months, Rahman has constructed notable momentum for the get together as he works to rebrand Jamaat as a extra average Islamist political drive. In a historic first, the get together has additionally nominated a Hindu candidate, signaling an effort to broaden its attraction and reshape its public picture.
