Polling has begun for the 13th general elections in Bangladesh, which will continue until 4:30 pm local time.
This election is important for several reasons and is different from previous elections.
Sheikh Hasina was removed from power in 2024 after violent protests in the country, after which her party Awami League is banned and cannot participate in the elections.
It is happening after decades that two of the country’s most important political figures, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, are not included in these elections.
Jamaat-e-Islami is contesting the elections for the first time and its alliance includes 10 other small parties, including the recent student movement against the Hasina-Wajid government, which has now taken the form of the “National Citizens Party”, while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the party of Khaleda Zia and led by her son Tariq Rahman, also includes 7 to 8 small parties in its alliance.
It is being said that the competition between Jamaat-e-Islami and the BNP is a tough one.
Voters are not only choosing a new government for the country, but they will also vote for a constitutional referendum that will decide whether to implement the July Charter, a comprehensive reform package.
Ballots sent by Bangladeshi voters living abroad are also being accepted for the first time in these elections.
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