Some key figures about Bangladesh’s parliamentary election
Bangladesh is holding parliamentary elections that could reshape the country after years of political instability. This is the first election since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by deadly protests in 2024, and a clear result is vital for stable governance.
Here are some facts and figures about Thursday’s election:
127 million eligible voters, nearly 5 million first-time voters
More than 127 million people have the right to vote in the country with a population of approximately 170 million. There are 2,028 candidates running for parliamentary seats across the country.
According to official data, the electorate includes approximately 64.8 million male voters, 62.9 million female voters and 1,234 transgender voters. Young people were key participants in the 2024 uprising and are expected to influence the elections: Nearly 5 million first-time voters have the right to vote.
800,000 staff at polling stations
Elections are held in 42,779 ballot boxes and approximately 800,000 officials are assigned to oversee the process. The interim administration, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammed Yunus, stated that it was determined to hold the elections free, fair and peaceful. Approximately 900,000 police and other security personnel were deployed.
To help ensure this, around 500 foreign observers and journalists will be present, including observers from the European Union and the Commonwealth of Nations to which Bangladesh belongs.
A five-year government will be established
Bangladesh’s national legislature consists of 350 members of parliament. Of these, 300 are directly elected from single-member constituencies, while an additional 50 seats are reserved for women. The term of office of each Parliament is five years.
Voting is being held in 299 constituencies and voting in one seat will be postponed following the death of a candidate and will be held at a later date.
This is largely a 2-way contest
Nearly 50 parties are participating in the elections. Hasina’s former ruling Awami League party was barred from participating in the elections.
The elections will largely be a two-way contest between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party.
BNP’s Tariq Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is one of the candidates to head the new government.
Challenging the BNP is an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, a conservative religious group. A new party called the National Citizen Party (NCP), founded by the uprising student leaders, is also part of this alliance.
The last 3 elections were controversial
The election is the 13th held since the country gained independence in 1971. The 2014, 2018 and 2024 elections under Hasina were controversial as they were believed to have been rigged in Hasina’s favor or were boycotted by her major rivals.
Bangladesh has a multi-party electoral system in which the candidate with the most votes wins. To guarantee a majority, a party or coalition must win 151 seats.
