Bangladesh Prepares for Historic Election

Bangladesh is set for its first national elections since a 2024 uprising ended 15 years of autocratic rule, with the Election Commission expecting a strong voter turnout.

Many young citizens, now in their 20s and 30s, were effectively denied the chance to vote during Sheikh Hasina’s long tenure, Election Commission official Abul Fazal Muhammad Sanaullah told reporters. “Ahead of Thursday’s vote, we see euphoria among the people,” he added.

Young voters aged 18 to 37 make up 44 percent of the country’s 127 million–strong electorate, many of whom never cast a ballot under Hasina’s rule, which ended with her ouster in August 2024.

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) notes that Bangladesh’s average voter turnout historically stands at 53 percent, peaking at nearly 87 percent in 2008 when almost all major parties participated under a military-backed interim government. Turnout later declined as some parties boycotted elections they claimed were rigged. Several former election commissioners from Hasina’s tenure are currently in jail.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to democratic process, stating, “We have promised the citizens of Bangladesh that we will conduct a free and fair election.”

Opinion polls vary widely, though most put the Bangladesh Nationalist Party slightly ahead of an Islamist-led coalition.

Election authorities remain vigilant after a minor security incident in the northern town of Netrokona, where several polling centres were set on fire Tuesday. Officials described the attacks as isolated.