DHAKA: Bangladesh will hold national polls on February 12, the electoral commission announced Thursday, the country’s first vote since a student-led uprising toppled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year.
A referendum on a landmark democratic reform charter will also be held on the same day, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said in a television broadcast to the nation.
The Muslim-majority country of 170 million people has been in political turmoil since Hasina was overthrown in August 2024, ending her 15-year autocratic rule.
Her former ruling party Awami League has been banned from running.
The country’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus who returned from exile in August 2024 at the behest of protesters to lead a caretaker government, will step down after the polls.
“In this election process, we expect cordial participation and active cooperation of all political parties and rival candidates and of the voters,” said the chief commissioner.
“I urge all to play a historical role in our democratic journey by making the upcoming 13th national parliament election a success.”
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by three-time former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is widely tipped to win.