Bangladesh voters to pick new leader today

Bangladesh is set to hold its 13th parliamentary elections today, 18 months after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year regime collapsed amid nationwide protests. The vote comes alongside a referendum on an 84-point reform package, a comprehensive set of political, administrative, and economic changes aimed at restructuring governance, improving transparency, and introducing systemic reforms across key sectors. Nearly one million security personnel have been deployed—the largest in the country’s electoral history.

The contest is mainly between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its former ally, Jamaat-e-Islami , following the disbanding of the Awami League by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus ’ interim government last year. Voting will take place across 299 constituencies from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm , with one constituency canceled due to a candidate’s death.

A total of 1,755 candidates from 50 parties and 273 independents are contesting, including 83 women. The BNP has fielded 291 candidates, the highest number.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin assured international observers that all arrangements are in place for a f ree, fair, and peaceful election . Nearly 900,000 law enforcement personnel have been deployed, with drones, body-worn cameras, and CCTV monitoring introduced for the first time to ensure security. Around 42,659 polling centres are operational, with risk-prone centres closely monitored.

First-time voters account for 3.58% of the total 127.7 million electorate, and nearly 800,000 expatriate Bangladeshis will vote via a new IT-based postal ballot system. Election results and the referendum outcome are expected to be announced without delay.