Bangladesh is holding its first National Assembly election since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a student-led uprising in 2024. The vote, taking place across the country, marks the first time in decades that neither Hasina nor her longtime rival Khaleda Zia is participating. With the Awami League banned pending tribunal proceedings, the main contest is between the centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party. Polls opened in the morning and will close at 16:30 local time, with results expected tomorrow.

The election coincides with a constitutional referendum on the July Charter, a reform package proposing term limits for the prime minister, a bicameral parliament, and greater female representation. More than 120 million voters are eligible to cast two ballots—one for parliamentary candidates and another for the referendum. Jamaat-e-Islami, led by Shafiqur Rahman, has allied with the National Citizen Party and the Liberal Democratic Party, while the BNP, led by Tarique Rahman, has pledged to strengthen welfare, education, and infrastructure.

This vote is widely viewed as a test of Bangladesh’s democratic recovery after years of political turmoil and authoritarian rule under Hasina, who remains in exile in India following her conviction for crimes against humanity.