Dhaka, February 12, 2026 – The Europe Today: Voting began across Bangladesh on Thursday morning as the nation launched its national parliamentary election, with more than 127 million registered voters eligible to cast their ballots.
Polling opened at 7:30 a.m. local time at over 42,000 centers nationwide and is scheduled to continue until 4:30 p.m., according to media reports. Election authorities have put in place extensive arrangements to facilitate a smooth voting process across the country.
In parts of the capital, Dhaka, long queues of voters were seen forming outside polling stations late Wednesday night, hours before voting officially commenced. Miraz Ahmed, a first-time voter from Generation Z, expressed enthusiasm about participating in the democratic process. “This is my first time voting, and I’m really excited,” he said, adding that he collected his voter number in advance to ensure quick entry to his polling station.
The Bangladesh Election Commission reported that 2,028 candidates are contesting 299 of the 300 directly elected parliamentary seats. Voting in the remaining constituency has been postponed due to the death of a candidate and will be held at a later date.
The election marks the first general vote since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down in August 2024 following widespread political unrest.
Under Bangladesh’s parliamentary system, a political party must secure at least 151 seats in the 300-member parliament to form a government. Election officials confirmed that vote counting will commence at polling stations immediately after voting concludes, with results expected to shape the country’s political direction in the coming years.
