Bangladesh began voting on Thursday in its first national election since the deadly 2024 uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina, with people queued at polling stations across the country amid expectations of tight electoral race. Leading prime ministerial hopeful Tarique Rahman, 60, is confident his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) can regain power \u2013 but he faces a stiff challenge from the Muslim-majority country\u2019s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami. Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman, 67, has mounted a disciplined grassroots campaign, and, if victorious, the former political prisoner could lead the first Islamist-led government in constitutionally secular Bangladesh. Opinion polls vary widely, though most give the BNP the lead \u2013 with some suggesting a knife-edge race. \u201cThe significance of this day is far-reaching,\u201d interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who will step down after the polls, said ahead of the vote in the country of 170 million people. \u201cIt will determine the future direction of the country, the character of its democracy, its durability, and the fate of the next generation.\u201d The 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner has led the South Asian nation since Sheikh Hasina\u2019s 15-year rule ended with her ouster in August 2024. His administration has barred her Awami League from contesting the polls. Hasina, 78, was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity for the bloody crackdown on protesters during her final months in power, and remains in hiding in neighbouring India. \u2018Crucial test\u2019 Yunus has also championed a sweeping democratic reform charter to overhaul what he called a \u201ccompletely broken\u201d system of government and to prevent a return to one-party rule. On Thursday, the 127 million voters will also decide in a referendum whether to endorse proposals for prime-ministerial term limits, a new upper house of parliament, stronger presidential powers and greater judicial independence. Voters will elect 300 lawmakers directly, with a further 50 women chosen from party lists. More than 300,000 security personnel have been deployed for the polls, which open at 7:30 am (0130 GMT), with counting by hand to begin after they close at 4:30 pm. Results in past elections trickled in hours later \u2013 though counting this time also includes referendum ballots. \u201cThe crucial test for Bangladesh now will be to ensure the election is conducted fairly and impartially, and for all parties to then accept the result,\u201d said Thomas Kean, an analyst with the International Crisis Group. \u201cIf that happens, it will be the strongest evidence yet that Bangladesh has indeed embarked on a period of democratic renewal.\u201d \u2018Just and inclusive\u2019 The next government will inherit a battered economy in the world\u2019s second-largest garment exporter, alongside delicate relations with neighbouring India. The BNP\u2019s Rahman \u2013 whose late parents both led the country \u2013 told AFP that his first priority, if elected, would be restoring security and stability. But he warned the challenges ahead were immense. \u201cThe economy has been destroyed,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are a huge number of unemployed. We need to create businesses for these young people to have jobs.\u201d But his Islamist political rivals, who have campaigned on a platform of justice and ending corruption, sense their biggest opportunity in decades. \u201cWe want to build a country of unity with everyone on board,\u201d Jamaat leader Rahman said in his closing campaign speech. \u201cIt will be a country where nobody gets the driving seat because of their family background.\u201d Around 10 percent of Bangladesh\u2019s population are non-Muslim, most of them Hindu. In his final address to the nation before voting, Yunus urged citizens to honour the \u201csacrifice\u201d of the 2024 uprising and to put the \u201cnational interest above personal and party\u201d agendas. \u201cVictory is part of democracy; defeat is also an inevitable part,\u201d he said. \u201cPlease dedicate yourselves to building a new, just, and inclusive Bangladesh.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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