The Bangladesh Nationalist Party raced ahead of its rival Jamaat-i-Islami on Thursday, early counting showed, after tens of millions of Bangladeshis voted in a pivotal national election.
It was the first vote since the 2024 Gen Z-driven uprising that toppled long-time premier Sheikh Hasina.
Analysts say a clear outcome is crucial for stability in the nation of 175 million, after months of deadly anti-Hasina protests disrupted everyday life and hit major industries, including the garment sector, the world’s second-largest exporter.
It was the first national election to follow the recent under-30, Gen Z-led uprisings scattered around the world, with Nepal set to hold a vote next month.
Counting began at 4:30pm (3:30pm PKT) at most booths, immediately after polls closed, with clear trends expected around midnight and results likely to be clear by Friday morning, election commission officials said.
The race pits two coalitions led by former allies, BNP and Jamaat, with opinion polls giving the BNP a slight edge.
BNP was leading in 50 seats and Jamaat in 18, local TV news stations said. Bangladesh’s parliament, the Jatiya Sangsad, has 300 seats, with 151 required for a simple majority.
The party declared on its official Facebook page that its chief and prime ministerial candidate Tarique Rahman had won one of two seats he contested. Election authorities were yet to announce the result officially, however.
BNP members clapped and cheered loudly as they celebrated outside the party office in Dhaka on hearing the news of his victory, visuals on the Facebook page showed.
Turnout appeared on track to exceed the 42 per cent recorded in the last election in 2024. Local media reported that more than 60pc of registered voters were expected to have cast ballots.
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