Early counting in Bangladesh’s national election shows the Bangladesh Nationalist Party BNP in the lead after heavy voter turnout across the country. The election is being seen as historic, coming after the 2024 Gen Z-driven uprising that removed long-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina from power.
Local television channels reported that BNP was leading in 50 seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami was ahead in 18. The parliament, known as the Jatiya Sangsad, has 300 seats, and a party needs 151 for a simple majority.
Counting started soon after polls closed, and officials said clear trends were expected by midnight, with final results likely by Friday morning. More than 60% of registered voters were expected to have cast their ballots, which is higher than the 42% turnout recorded in the 2024 election.
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The contest is mainly between two coalitions led by former allies, the BNP and Jamaat. Opinion surveys had earlier given BNP a slight advantage. BNP also claimed on its official Facebook page that its chief and prime ministerial candidate, Tarique Rahman, won one of the two seats he contested, though election authorities have not yet confirmed it officially.
Supporters of BNP celebrated outside the party office in Dhaka as news of the early lead spread. Many described the atmosphere as energetic and hopeful.
Analysts say a clear outcome is very important for stability in the country of 175 million people. Months of deadly anti-Hasina unrest had disrupted daily life and affected key industries, especially the garment sector, which is the world’s second largest exporter.
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Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League is currently banned, and she remains in self-imposed exile in India. In a statement shared with journalists, she called the election a “carefully planned farce” and demanded its cancellation. She said, “We demand the cancellation of this voterless, illegal, and unconstitutional election, the removal of the suspension imposed on the activities of the Awami League, and the restoration of the people’s voting rights through the arrangement of a free, fair, and inclusive election under a neutral caretaker government.”
More than 2,000 candidates and at least 50 political parties contested the election, making it a record. Voting in one constituency was postponed after the death of a candidate.
