Bangladesh election 2026: What happens, when, and what’s at stake?

Voters in Bangladesh will head to the polls on Thursday for the country’s first parliamentary elections since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted following her brutal crackdown on widespread student-led protests in 2024, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,400 people.

What time do polls open in Bangladesh?

Polls will open at 7:30am (01:30 GMT) on February 12 and close at 4:30pm (10:30 GMT).

Votes will be cast across 42,761 polling centres in 64 districts for 300 parliamentary constituencies, according to the Election Commission of Bangladesh (ECB).

How does voting work in Bangladesh?

There are 127,711,793 registered voters, aged 18 and above as of October 31, 2025, including those registered to vote via postal ballot within and outside the country. This is the first time postal voting has been facilitated, benefitting about 15 million overseas workers whose remittances form a vital part of the Bangladeshi economy.

Bangladesh has a “unicameral” legislature – a single legislative chamber which makes laws – the Jatiyo Shangsad or the House of the Nation, with 350 constituencies. Each constituency has a single-member seat.

Voting through the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system is used to elect 300 members, while the remaining 50 seats are reserved for women and are allocated to parties proportionally after the election results. So, for example, if a party wins 60 seats, it receives 10 reserved seats to be allocated to female politicians.

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