In one of the most dramatic political reversals, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman, has won an absolute majority in the 13th national parliamentary election and regained power in a political landscape redrawn by the defeat of the Awami League-led alliance.
According to local media, the coalition led by BNP won 209 constituencies, far beyond the 151-seat threshold to form the government. On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami suffered a crucial defeat in the election, as it could manage only 56 seats as vote counting ended in the early morning today.
Alongside the vote in the country's parliament, preliminary results suggest that there has been overwhelming support nationwide for the "July Charter," or the proposed constitutional changes based on the uprising of 2024, with the local newspaper reporting a figure of 72.9 per cent of the electorate voting in favour of the changes. Although official statistics on the voting have yet to be released by the Bangladeshi Election Commission, the turnout itself has been deemed at almost 61 pc, with many reporting that the day passed more peacefully than previous national elections.
There were, however, some disturbances nationwide, including in the Hatiya region, where more than 70 people were injured in clashes near the polling stations, resulting in the arrest of nine people by the police.
Also read: 48% vote in Bangladesh polls, counting underway
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