Parliamentary elections are going to be held in Bangladesh next week. The general election comes more than a year after the country witnessed political tensions and student-led uprisings that eventually ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Around 1,700 candidates are expected to contest from 300 parliamentary constituencies in the upcoming elections in Bangladesh. (Reuters file photo)The election date was confirmed in a televised interview by the country’s chief election commissioner, AMM Nasiruddin, who said July is a national referendum on the charter, a set of policies aimed at amending the constitution. It will be held in Bangladesh on the same day.
When is the election in Bangladesh?According to the official announcement from Dhaka Election Commission, General Election is scheduled to be held on February 12, 2026. Polling hours on Election Day will run from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm local time.
Polling stations will be closed and the results of the parliamentary elections will be announced on the same day. The Bangladesh Election Commission will issue the provisional number but the final number will be issued the next day.
Candidates and parties in the fieldHasina’s team Awami League was eliminated in the 13th national election. The party’s leaders warned that unrest would increase as the campaign intensified across the country, Al Jazeera reported.
In May 2025, the Election Commission of Bangladesh suspended the registration of Awami League as a political party. Under the leadership of the country’s interim government Muhammad Yunus also banned all activities of the party.
In the upcoming elections, around 1,700 candidates are expected to contest from 300 parliamentary seats, news agency ANI quoted Senior Assistant Secretary Matiur Rahman as saying.
“In terms of voter turnout, we are expecting a huge turnout. About 1,700 candidates are contesting in 300 parliamentary seats in Bangladesh. Some candidates have appealed to the High Court to cancel their nominations. The list of candidates will be finalized once these issues are resolved… We have asked to ensure that the judiciary and executive ministers do not work together during the election process,” Rahman said.
Free and fair elections are firstThe Election Commission, which has selected around 64 returning officers, said preparations are underway for the upcoming polls. Rahman added, “We hope all political parties, candidates, civil society and citizens will voluntarily join the process. The Election Commission is taking all necessary steps to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election in Bangladesh.”
Bangladesh saw its last election in January 2024, which the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), boycotted after accusing Hasina of leading it. Awami League rigged the election.
A few months after the election, the Sheikh Hasina-led government saw massive student protests and uproar against the reservation of seats in public sector jobs for relatives of war heroes who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Protesters argued that the system was discriminatory and favored the prime minister’s supporters Sheikh Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, and wants to replace it with a merit-based system.
Hasina rejected these claims, saying that veterans, regardless of their political affiliation, deserve the highest honor for their contribution to the war. Several people were killed and injured as a result of the protests.
The eventual ouster of the prime minister followed His residence was vandalized by angry protesters.
Violence started in Bangladesh before the electionAs Bangladesh nears its first national election since Hasina’s ouster, the country has witnessed around 274 incidents of election-related violence in the past 53 days, the Dhaka Tribune reported, citing the Press Wing of the Chief Adviser.
Of the 274 cases, 16 involved acts of intimidation or aggressive behaviour, 15 assaults on candidates, 5 murders, 89 clashes between rival supporters and 3 illegal use of weapons.
Apart from this, 9 cases were filed for threats, 29 for campaign obstruction, 20 for assault or vandalism of election-related offices or institutions, 17 for blockade or protest, 1 for attacks on minorities and 70 for other incidents.
The incidents took place between December 12 and February 1 at 9 p.m., the report said.
