Voters across Bangladesh turned out on Thursday for parliamentary elections seen as a defining moment for the country’s democracy following months of political turmoil and violence. Polling stations in Dhaka and nationwide filled steadily through the morning, with results expected on Friday. More than 127 million citizens are eligible to vote in the first national election since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government collapsed in 2024 after mass youth-led protests. Hasina fled to India and was sentenced to death in absentia for ordering a deadly crackdown, while her party has been barred from participating.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman, recently returned from 17 years of exile, is considered a leading contender to form the next government. He faces an 11-party coalition led by Jamaat-e-Islami, which has regained prominence since Hasina’s ouster. The interim administration under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has pledged a fair and transparent vote, monitored by about 500 international observers and journalists.

The election outcome could reshape Bangladesh’s political landscape, with five million first-time voters expected to play a decisive role in determining the country’s post-Hasina direction.