Bangladesh: Polls open for first elections since 2024 uprising

Dhaka (Bangladesh), Feb. 12 (LaPresse/AP) – Polls have opened across Bangladesh to allow voters to cast their ballots in parliamentary elections, considered a crucial test for the country’s democracy after years of political turmoil. After a slow start, crowds flocked to polling stations in the capital Dhaka and other locations by mid-morning. Voting will continue throughout Thursday, with results expected on Friday. More than 127 million people are eligible to vote in Bangladesh’s first elections since the collapse of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2024, following weeks of mass protests. Hasina fled the country and her party was barred from the elections. She currently lives in exile in India. Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is one of the main contenders to form the next government. He is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years of self-imposed exile in London. Rahman has pledged to rebuild democratic institutions, restore the rule of law, and revive the struggling economy. Challenging the BNP is an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party, which was banned under Hasina but has gained prominence since her ouster. The growing influence of the conservative religious group has fueled concerns, particularly among women and minority communities, that social freedoms could come under pressure if they come to power. Bangladesh is more than 90% Muslim, while about 8% of the population is Hindu.