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Dhaka: Voters began gathering outside polling stations across Bangladesh in the early morning hours on Thursday (February 12), some arriving well before the scheduled 7:30 am opening to secure their place in line for an election many thought they would never see.

By the time polls opened, queues snaked around buildings in cities and villages alike as Bangladeshis turned out in large numbers for the first parliamentary election since a student-led uprising ended Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule in August 2024.

By 2 pm, nearly 48% of eligible voters had cast ballots at 36,000 of the country’s 43,000 polling centres, according to the Election Commission. Polling closed at 4:30 pm local time, following which counting began once all the votes of people standing in line were cast.

For many voters, casting a ballot meant more than just choosing a candidate. Standing in a slow-moving line at a polling centre in the Dhaka-13 constituency, Rashad al-Islam, 37, said it was the first time he had voted since becoming eligible after the 2008 election, widely considered the last free and fair contest. “I did not want to vote the last few times,” he said. “My main factor is the candidate, not the party. The candidate has to work for me.”

Rashad al-Islam said this is the first time he has voted since he became to eligible to vote after the 2008 election.

Scenes from the July revolution kept playing through the mind of Emon, 28, who declined to give his full name as he travelled to vote with his family. “That I can vote freely, and everyone is here voting freely, makes it worthwhile,” he told The Wire at the Civil Aviation School and College’s vast playground where voters who had cast their ballots were still lingering, making reels for social media and taking photos. Security personnel periodically asked the voters to leave.

He remembered the last time he cast his vote, in the 2018 elections, clearly. “There were hardly any people around. You can see the people here so happy, taking photos of each other. It feels completely different,” Emon said, waving to the people who milled around even after they had cast their votes.

The poll atmosphere was calm, according to Sanjida Sahid, voting in the Dhaka-12 constituency. She felt able to participate properly after a long time. “Earlier votes only saw one side canvassing. But this time we have seen campaigns from various different parties. Everyone came. Everyone participated,” she said. She voted yes in the referendum because, she said, “I want reform. I wish for our country to be more developed.”

A sticker on the bag of a mediaperson covering the elections.

For the first time, voters had to make a choice on two ballot papers – one for the parliamentary candidate and another on the constitutional reforms proposed in the July Charter. While voters who spoke to The Wire in Dhaka were ready to talk about the referendum, they were more wary about revealing their choice for parliament.

More than 127 million voters were eligible to participate in the election, which will determine 300 members of parliament. The vote marks an attempt to transition from the 18-month interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus back to elected democratic rule.

The political landscape has changed dramatically. Hasina’s Awami League, which dominated previous elections, has been banned from participating. The contest became primarily a battle between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party........

© The Wire