Vote counting is underway in Bangladesh, but initial trends show the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) heading for a landslide victory.
So far, the BNP is leading in 165 to 170 of the 231 parliamentary seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami is in second place. 151 seats are required to form a government.
For the first time in the country, national parliamentary elections and a referendum were held on the same day, Thursday, February 12th.
Now Bangladesh is embarking on a new journey. After 18 months of an interim government, the elections have finally concluded.
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Bangladesh has approximately 127.7 million voters, nearly half of whom were women. A total of 2,028 candidates and 50 political parties participated in the election.
After casting her vote, young voter Tahmina Haque told the Dhaka Tribune, “I have cast my vote. I feel very happy. The voting was very peaceful and orderly.”
Abdullah Al Mamun, election officer at the Segunbagicha High School center, said, “Voting began at 7:30 a.m. Voting is proceeding peacefully, and we have not received any complaints so far.”
The United States has congratulated Tarique Rahman on the BNP’s “historic victory” and “successful election.”
Even before the official announcement, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen wrote, “The United States looks forward to working with you to realize our shared goals of prosperity and security for both our countries.”
What is the local media saying?
Local TV channels are predicting a landslide victory for the BNP. It is being said that the BNP could win nearly two-thirds of the seats in Parliament.
According to unofficial trends and the party’s own projections, the BNP and its allies are leading in 170 seats.
Bangladesh’s English-language newspaper, New Age, has also predicted a landslide victory for the BNP.
According to the newspaper, initial trends show the BNP and its allies leading in 165 seats, while the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance is leading in 66 seats. Parliament has a total of 231 seats.
The leading English-language newspaper, the Dhaka Tribune, has also predicted the BNP to win an absolute majority. According to the newspaper, it has become clear that Jamaat-e-Islami has emerged as the main opposition party.
According to Bangladesh’s newspaper, The Daily Star, the BNP is projected to win a landslide victory in the 13th national elections.
According to the newspaper, the BNP expects to secure a two-thirds majority in these elections.
According to The Daily Star, Jamaat-e-Islami, once the BNP’s closest ally, and its affiliates have gained a significant lead. Jamaat-e-Islami has stated that it expects to win 60 seats.
The newspaper says that Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, the head of election management for the National Citizen Party (NCP), which emerged from the student movement, stated on his Facebook account that his party has won six seats.
NCP coordinator Nahid Islam is leading in Dhaka-11.
According to official results, BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has won both Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has also won.
However, it is not yet clear whether postal ballots have been counted.
