Vote counting is underway across the country after the completion of polling in a largely peaceful atmosphere, with high hopes of restoring genuine democracy and securing a strong mandate for national reforms.
Polling started simultaneously at 7:30am in 299 parliamentary constituencies across the country and continued uninterrupted until 4:30pm on Thursday.
Voters who were in queues at the closing time would be allowed to cast their ballots.
Apart from a few isolated incidents, including crude bomb explosions in Munshiganj and Gopalganj districts, the overall voting process remained largely peaceful.
During the election, four people died reportedly after falling sick at polling centres in Khulna, Manikganj, Dhaka and Chattogram .
Some political parties also raised allegations of irregularities.
Seven presiding officers were withdrawn in five districts for their alleged irregularities, according to reports landed at UNB desk from the districts.
In a statement issued after voting ended, Chief Adviser congratulated and thanked the nation for the peaceful completion of the election and the referendum, according to the press wing of the Chief Adviser.
“Voters’ spontaneous participation, the responsible conduct of political parties, the restraint shown by candidates and the professionalism of all institutions involved in the election have collectively demonstrated that our commitment to democracy remains firm. By exercising their constitutional rights, people have played an active role in determining the country’s future,” Prof Yunus said.
He extended special thanks to the Election Commission, the armed forces, law enforcement agencies, the civil administration, observer teams, media professionals and all officials and staff engaged in the voting process.
“Their dedication and hard work ensured the successful completion of this massive democratic exercise,” he added.
The Chief Adviser also urged political parties and candidates to uphold democratic decorum, tolerance and mutual respect even after the announcement of the final results.
According to Election Commission (EC) data, the voter turnout nationwide was 47.91 percent by 2:00pm, midway through the nine-hour balloting for the parliamentary election and referendum.
“We’ve gathered data from 32,789 out of 42,651 polling stations. According to this data, voter turnout stands at 32.88 percent,” said EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed while briefing reporters at 1:10pm at the city’s Nirbachan Bhaban.
Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus cast his vote at the Gulshan Model School and College centre in Dhaka. BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman voted at the same centre around 9:40am, while Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman cast his ballot at 8:15am at Monipur High School (Boys’ Branch).
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir voted at Thakurgaon Government Girls’ High School around 7:40am.
The election in Sherpur-3 constituency was postponed due to the death of a contesting candidate.
Voters cast ballots to choose 299 public representatives from a total of 2,028 candidates, including nominees of 50 political parties and independent contenders.
A total of 127,298,522 voters in 299 constituencies were eligible to vote, comprising 64,620,077 male voters, 62,677,232 female voters, and 1,213 third-gender voters. The country’s total electorate across 300 constituencies is 127,711,899.
Two major political parties—the BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami—are contesting the election, seeking a public mandate to govern for the next five years. The ousted Awami League, however, is absent from the race this time, having boycotted the 15th February 1996 election after 30 years in the political arena.
Of the 59 registered political parties, 50 are participating in the elections. Among the 2,028 candidates contesting from 299 constituencies, 1,755 were nominated by political parties, while 273 are independent candidates.
Source: UNB