Voting in Bangladesh’s election has now ended and we are pausing our live coverage.
This is the first election since a youth-led movement dramatically ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year, bringing an end to 15 years of increasingly authoritarian rule. Her Awami League party has been barred from politics, including taking part in the election.
As well as voting for a new leader, Bangladeshis are also casting their ballot on whether to approve sweeping constitutional reforms.
More than 120 million people in the country are eligible to vote, including a large number of youth, and many are hopeful that today’s election will usher in a new era of representative governance for Bangladesh.
It is not yet known what the final voter turnout has been but the Election Commission said it was 32.88% at midday local time (06:00 GMT).
We will be back to bring you the results, including who will be the next prime minister, as well as analysis of what it means for the country.
Challenges lie ahead for next governing party
Because the last three elections were controversial and did not include all parties, it is difficult to judge the true level of voter support for each of the two main parties.
The new government in post-uprising Bangladesh will have to restore law and order or lead in economic recovery. It will also have to determine the country’s direction in a changed geopolitical world.
Furthermore, the new leadership will be tasked with implementing the state and social reforms that the people have repeatedly demanded.
Whichever party wins, this is an election of many firsts – and it heralds new experiences ahead for Bangladesh.
Voting closes in landmark election
It has just gone 16:30 in Bangladesh (and 10:30 here in London), which means that voting is now closed in the election.
As well as choosing a new leader, people have been choosing whether to approve constitutional reforms – the first time in the country’s history that the two votes have been held at the same time.
We are not expecting to get any official results for either until Friday.
Voting going ‘fairly peacefully’, says Jamaat-e-Islami leader
The head of Jamaat-e-Islami, Shafiqur Rahman, says he thinks that, overall, voting is going on “fairly peacefully”.
He believes that the voter turnout in the election up to 13:00 local time (07:00 GMT) was slightly less than previous elections which included the participation of all parties.
According to the Electoral Commission, voter turnout at 12:00 local time was 32.88%. Polls close at 16:30 local time.
Rahman says he is optimistic that voter turnout will increase as the day progress.
Tawsif Rahman Khan was part of the student uprising that overthrew years of authoritarian rule under Sheikh Hasina last year.
At the time, he tells us, he never thought he’d see this day. Now a 25-year-old graduate, he says it’s the first time he’s voting.
“There wasn’t any point before, it was a one party system,” Tawsif says.
He adds that when he entered the polling booth, he had one thing on his mind: “More rights than before… I’m hoping for great things to happen.”
What do voters care about?
Although everyday concerns such as rising prices, jobs, corruption, and law and order dominate, the bigger question for many voters is whether the new government can deliver on political reforms and ensure a democratic process.
For years, the country has seen political violence, including brutal crackdowns, mass arrests and forced disappearances.
There’s growing demand for accountability for abuses under previous governments.
Corruption is another major issue, especially in public office.
Bangladesh routinely finds itself among the world’s most corrupt countries on various indices. The two front-running parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, have put tackling corruption high on their agenda.
With more than 40% of the eligible electorate between the ages of 18 and 37, physical safety and employment is also high on the list of expectations.
In a November 2025 press release, the World Bank said that poverty in Bangladesh has increased and there are fewer jobs, especially for women.
‘No way’ this election is free and fair – Awami League leader
Today, the leader of the interim government Muhammad Yunus will attemp to deliver on his biggest promise: free and fair elections.
But the Awami League argues that is not happening. The once-dominant party has been banned from politics following the deadly protests which unseated it in 2024.
We travelled to a remote location to meet an Awami League politician in hiding.
“[By] excluding the Awami League, a free and fair election is in no way possible,” he told us.
A group of US lawmakers raised similar concerns, writing in a letter to Bangladesh authorities that free and fair elections “cannot happen if the government suspends activities of political parties”.
Authorities tell the BBC the ban on Awami League was a decision handed down by the courts under an “anti-terrorism” law.
Some party leaders are facing trials in Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal for their role in the crackdown during the uprising, among other alleged crimes. The party has dismissed these charges as “false” and “fabricated”.
Tight security as fears of political violence cast shadow over election
Elections in Bangladesh have often been marred by violence – but security has been especially tight around this year’s vote.
Nearly a million security personnel have been deployed across the country to maintain security until 14 February. We’ve also seen armed officials standing guard outside polling stations and police personnel patrolling the streets on horses.
It comes after a spate of recent political violence
Last December, youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, was shot by masked attackers in Dhaka and died of his injuries days later. His death sparked protests, which saw the offices of major news outlets torched and vandalised.
Hadi, 32, was a well-known figure in the youth-led protests that ousted Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Hasina’s government launched a brutal crackdown on the protests, killing some 1,400 people, according to UN estimates.
Fake news and disinformation dominate election campaign
A colleague jokingly said to me that “Bangladeshis live and breathe on Facebook”.
And indeed, it is one of several social media platforms that are widely used in the country, particularly among young people. That’s why political parties have been so active on social media.
But one of the most striking aspects of this election has been the use of AI and deepfake videos.
“Some have tried to discredit rival politicians through fabricated quotes, distorted videos or invented scandals,” Tohidul Islam Raso, a research officer for Dhaka-based fact-checking group Dismislab, tells the BBC.
Fact checking groups say dozens of false claims have been made against party leaders, including fake videos suggesting candidates had withdrawn from the election or expressed support for rival candidates.
Thumbs up from smiling voters in Dhaka
There are some happy faces on the streets of the capital, Dhaka, as voting continues in the election.
These young people, whose thumbs are marked with ink to show they have voted, are among more than 120 million in the country who are eligible to vote.
Many will be under the age of 33 and will have never had a genuine chance to vote before, as one academic told the BBC.
Police officers are also on the streets to ensure that voting goes ahead peacefully.
An ‘unprecedented’ second vote
Two ballots, one day: one to elect an MP, the other to approve sweeping constitutional reforms. That alone makes this election unusual in Bangladesh’s history.
Ali Riaz, the US-based academic who advised Muhammad Yunus’s interim government on the referendum, calls the simultaneous holding of a parliamentary vote and a constitutional plebiscite “unprecedented” – particularly given the scale of the proposed changes.
While other democracies sometimes pair elections with referendums, Bangladesh has never combined a national poll with such fundamental institutional redesign.
The decision, Riaz told me, was driven by constraints. The interim government wanted elections completed by February; any delay would run into Ramadan and the monsoon. Political parties were unwilling to prolong the transition.
Holding both votes together, he says, ensures the same electorate mandates both reform and the lawmakers tasked with implementing it.
