Bangladesh election 2026 LIVE | On heels of violence, Bangladesh makes a bid to return to democracy today
Voters wait in line outside a polling center to cast their ballots during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Bangladesh Election 2026 Voting Live Updates: Bangladesh has begun the process to return to a democratic set up with the crucial parliamentary elections today, February 12. This comes about 18 months after a students-led uprising toppled the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration. Hasina’s Awami League was thrown out of power, banned, and an interim government took charge under Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. Now, the 13th Parliamentary elections of the country are being held in the country simultaneously, along with a referendum on an 84-point reform package.
BNP frontrunner in Bangladesh polls: The Bangladesh elections are centered around two political parties, namely BNP and its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami. But former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely seen as the front-runner. Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, who returned to Dhaka after 17 years, could become the next Prime Minister, if BNP wins. Rahman has promised job creation, maintaining law and order and an enhanced level of freedom of speech.
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Bangladesh election numbers: The voting began at 7:30 AM (local time) in Bangladesh in 299 parliamentary constituencies and is scheduled to continue until 4:30 PM. The Bangladesh election commission has cancelled the voting in one of the constituencies after the death of the candidate. A total of 50 political parties are contesting the polls with 1,755 candidates and 273 independents are also contesting the election. Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin confirmed the deployment of nearly 9,00,000 law enforcement personnel to ensure security during the polls.
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