Bangladeshis All Set To Vote In 1st Election After 2024 Uprising

DHAKA/ ISTANBUL, Feb 10 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- People in Bangladesh are all set to vote in the 13th general election on Thursday, the first after the July 2024 uprising, as poll campaigns end on Tuesday morning.

The government earlier announced three days of public holidays starting from Feb.10 for the election, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

Thousands of people, including factory workers, have been seen returning to their home constituencies, as restrictions on public transport will be enforced on voting day.

Tabish Mahdi, a voter registered in his village in northern Rangpur district and working in Dhaka, said he could not manage a bus ticket despite several attempts.

“It seems people are so enthusiastic about this election as they couldn’t vote in the past election under the Sheikh Hasina regime, particularly like me,” he told Anadolu.

The election rush has caused traffic pressure and jams on some key highways connecting Dhaka and other parts of the country, according to local Channel24 TV.

The election was scheduled after Hasina's government was deposed in August 2024, forcing her to flee to India and effectively ending the Awami League party's 15-year rule.

According to a report by CAGE International, a human rights advocacy group, Bangladesh is facing one of the most challenging yet crucial tasks in this election: "transitioning from authoritarian rule to good governance."

"Political parties contesting future elections in Bangladesh have a profound responsibility to articulate a vision for governance that addresses the wrongs of the past while building institutions capable of preventing their recurrence," the report said.

Of the 120.7 million eligible voters, one-fourth are first-time voters who dominated the movements in July-August 2024 and now want change in the political and administrative culture.

About 330 international observers from Türkiye, the US, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Jordan, Iran, Georgia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and South Africa, as well as the EU, the Commonwealth, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), are monitoring the elections.

Nearly 2,000 candidates - representing more than 50 political parties as well as independent contenders—are contesting the 300 parliamentary seats. The general election will be held simultaneously with a referendum on reforms.

A seven-member Turkish observatory team met interim head Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday, while another 23-member Commonwealth Observer Group also met him on Monday. ​​​​​​

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU