DHAKA, Feb 13 – Votes counted so far in Bangladesh show the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) headed for victor y with the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami in second place
People were voting for a new government and also taking part in a referendum to change the constitution.
According to the latest from the Election Commission, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies have secured 69 seats; Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies have secured 24 seats; and 3 seats are going to other candidates.
Local media have all projected sweeping wins for the BNP, but their projections on how many seats the party will win significantly differ.
This is the first election held in the country since student-led protests in 2024 ended the 15-year rule of its increasingly autocratic leader, Sheikh Hasina.
As many as 1,400 protesters were killed during the uprising – with Hasina accused of having directly ordered the crackdown, an allegation she denies.
Hasina’s party, the Awami League, was banned from contesting this election.
An interim government, led by Nobel Peace Price laureate Muhammad Yunus, has led Bangladesh since Hasina fled