Polling began at 7:30 a.m. local time at more than 42,000 centers nationwide and is scheduled to continue until 4:30 p.m. local time, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
In parts of Dhaka, long lines of voters were already forming outside polling stations late Wednesday night ahead of the official start of voting.
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“This is my first time voting, and I’m really excited,” Miraz Ahmed, a Generation Z voter, told Xinhua on Wednesday evening. He said he was collecting his voter number from a help desk so he could enter his polling station quickly the following morning without having to wait in line.
The country’s Election Commission reported that 2,028 candidates are competing for 299 of the 300 directly elected parliamentary seats. Voting for the remaining constituency will take place at a later date due to the death of a candidate.
The election marks Bangladesh’s first general vote since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down in August 2024 following widespread political unrest across the country.
Under Bangladesh’s parliamentary system, a political party must secure at least 151 seats to form a government. Election officials stated that vote counting will begin at polling stations immediately after voting concludes.
