Bangladeshis To Vote Amid Heavy Security In 13th General Election

By Shakir Husain

NEW DELHI, Feb 11 (Bernama) -- Bangladeshis will cast their votes amid heavy security on Thursday in the first parliamentary election since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in August 2024.

Nearly a million security personnel, including more than 100,000 from the Bangladesh armed forces, have been deployed to maintain order during the 13th general election.

Corruption, law and order, and unemployment are among key issues as the former regime was accused of being repressive and corrupt.

Hasina, now living in India, and her former aides based abroad have unsuccessfully tried to mobilise opinion against the election in which their Awami League has been barred from taking part by the interim government.

A total of 2,028 candidates, including 83 women, from 50 political parties as well as independents are in the fray in 299 out of 300 parliamentary constituencies, Election Commission officials said.

Besides electing new members of the Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament), people will also vote on a referendum on political reforms.

“Through the referendum, the people of Bangladesh will express their clear views on the future state structure and governance system,” interim government Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus said in a state media report.

“It is the moral and constitutional responsibility of all of us to ensure that this referendum and the Jatiya Sangsad polls become a joyful, fear-free, credible and festive democratic experience for every voter," he said.

Bangladesh last held parliamentary elections in January 2024 following which Hasina became prime minister for a fourth consecutive term.

She was accused of rigging elections and jailing her political rivals to prolong her rule.

The system of a non-partisan caretaker government, in place since the 1990s,  to organise elections was abolished under her rule in 2011.

Bangladesh has invited observers from Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, the European Union and several other countries and organisations.

They have fanned out across Bangladesh to watch the electoral exercise in which some 128 million people are eligible to vote.

A total of 42,779 polling stations have been set up across the country.

“The participation of media and observers will play a significant role in ensuring maximum transparency and public trust in this election,” chief election commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin said.

The main contest is between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) headed by late prime minister Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman and political veteran Shafiqur Rahman-led Jamaat-e-Islami, which is part of a multiparty alliance.

“Let us show the world that Bangladesh is a mature democracy,” the Jamaat-e-Islami chief said on Wednesday.

Foreign journalists are also present in large numbers.

-- BERNAMA