The Dance Of Democracy: Bangladesh Votes In Its First Polls Since 2024 Uprising
The people of Bangladesh voted in the first general election since the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster in 2024 on Thursday, February 12. With 128 million eligible voters, this election will be a test for the return of democracy in the country with results awaited on February 13.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Tarique Rahman speaks to his supporters during an election rally on the last day of the election campaign, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. | Photo: AP/Mahmud Hossain Opu
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman and other leaders attend the last day of an election rally for Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis candidate Mamunul Haque, organized by the eleven party alliance in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. | Photo: AP/Anupam Nath
An official checks ballot boxes and voting papers before its distribution to various polling centers ahead of the national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. | Photo: AP/Mahmud Hossain Opu
Election officials and security personnel transport ballot boxes and voting materials to polling centers ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. | Photo: AP/Mahmud Hossain Opu
An official stands near ballot boxes and voting papers before its distribution to various polling centers ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. | Photo: AP/Anupam Nath
Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus waves after casting his vote as he comes out of a polling center during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. | Photo: AP/Mahmud Hossain Opu
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman, center, addresses to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. | Photo: AP/Anupam Nath
Bangladeshi women stand in queue to cast their votes in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. | Photo: AP/Anupam Nath
A Bangladeshi woman arrives to cast her vote as security personnel stand guard outside a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. | Photo: AP/Anupam Nath
A woman casts her vote at a polling station during the national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. | Photo: AP/Anupam Nath
A Bangladeshi woman casts her vote in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. | Photo: AP/Anupam Nath
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