DHAKA — Voting began across Bangladesh on Thursday in a pivotal election for the South Asian nation after the 2024 ouster of long‑time premier Sheikh Hasina in a mass uprising. After a slow start, crowds came to polling stations in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere by midmorning. Balloting will continue through Thursday with results expected Friday.Sheikh Hasina’s government collapsed in 2024 after weeks of Gen Z‑driven mass protests. Hasina fled the country and her party is banned from the polls. She is living in exile in India.The contest pits two coalitions led by former allies, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist Jamaat‑e‑Islami, with opinion polls giving an edge to the BNP.BNP's Tarique Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is a leading contender to form the next government. He returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years of self-exile in London. Elections were held during Hasina's tenure but they were marred by opposition boycotts and intimidation, critics have said.Analysts say a decisive result is crucial for steady governance in the nation of 175 million, as the deadly anti-Hasina protests triggered months of unrest and disrupted key industries, including the huge garments sector, the world’s second-largest exporter.In Dhaka, the capital, people queued up outside voting booths before polls opened at 7:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT).More than 2,000 candidates, including many independents, are vying for 300 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, or House of the Nation. At least 50 parties are contesting in total, a national record.Voting in one constituency has been postponed due to the death of a candidate. "This election is not just another routine vote," Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, head of an interim government installed after Hasina’s ouster, said this week."The public awakening we witnessed against long‑standing anger, inequality, deprivation and injustice finds its constitutional expression in this election."In parallel, there will be a referendum on a set of constitutional reforms, including establishing a neutral interim government for election periods, restructuring parliament into a bicameral legislature, increasing women’s representation, strengthening judicial independence and imposing a two-term limit on the prime minister.Despite the crowded field and expectations of a close race, the campaign period remained largely peaceful, barring a few incidents."The crucial test for Bangladesh now will be to ensure the election is conducted fairly and impartially, and for all parties to then accept the result," said Thomas Kean, a senior consultant with the International Crisis Group. "If that happens, it will be the strongest evidence yet that Bangladesh has indeed embarked on a period of democratic renewal."Around 958,000 personnel from the police, army and paramiltary forces were deployed throughout the country on election day, the Election Commission said. Police and army personnel were stationed outside most polling booths.Polling closes at 4:30 p.m. (1030 GMT). Counting will begin soon after, with early trends expected around midnight and results are likely to be clear by Friday morning, Election Commission officials said.Nearly 128 million people are registered to vote, 49% of them women. But only 83 female candidates are contesting. Nearly half of the total electorate is aged between 18-35, with many of them first-time voters.The election could reshape the domestic stability of Bangladesh, a country whose post-1971 history since gaining independence from Pakistan has been marked by entrenched political parties, military coups and allegations of vote rigging. — Agencies
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