Tarique Rahman, returning to Bangladesh after 17 years in exile, has pledged to end entrenched corruption and lead the country on a new path as voting began in the first free and fair elections in nearly two decades. Speaking before polls opened on Thursday, the 60-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader promised a “top down, no tolerance” approach to graft if his party wins power. Polls suggest the BNP is poised for a sizeable majority over the Islamist Jamaat e-Islami, potentially returning the party to government after 20 years.

The election follows the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a student-led uprising in mid-2024 that left about 1,400 people dead, according to the UN. Since August 2024, an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has overseen preparations for the vote. More than 900,000 security personnel were deployed to ensure calm as 127 million registered voters cast ballots in what analysts called the country’s first credible election in 17 years.

Analysts noted that a fair, peaceful election could mark a turning point for Bangladesh’s democracy, though the resurgence of Islamist parties poses challenges for secular governance and stability.