Bangladesh Elections 2026 LIVE Updates: Bangladesh set out on path of democracy, says CEC; counting of votes underway
Bangladeshi women leave after casting their votes outside a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (AP)
Bangladesh Elections 2026 Live Updates: The counting of votes is underway across 299 constituencies in Bangladesh. The country, which witnessed a political upheaval leading to the 2024 ouster of long-time premier Sheikh Hasina, recorded a voter turnout of 47.91%. Tens of millions of Bangladeshis queued up at polling booths to exercise their franchise. The Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune that the country has set out on the path of democracy and expressed hope that the “train of democracy” will reach its destination.
In the high-stakes election, the Awami League was barred from the ballot, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by the recently returned Tarique Rahman, has emerged as the frontrunner. Rahman has ushered in a “new path” focused on job creation and the rule of law. The BNP battles Jamaat-e-Islami and the youth-led National Citizen Party (NCP).
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More than 2,000 candidates, including many independents, contested in 300 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, or House of the Nation. The two prime ministerial candidates are the BNP’s Tarique Rahman and Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman. While 50 parties are fighting the electoral battle, polling in one constituency has been postponed due to the death of a candidate.
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