Voting ends in Bangladesh's national parliament election

A woman displays her ink-stained finger after casting ballot in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb. 12, 2026. (Photo by Habibur Rahman/Xinhua)

DHAKA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The voting in Bangladesh's national parliament election ended at 4:30 p.m. local time on Thursday.

Bangladesh Election Commission said the counting will begin immediately after the vote ends.

According to local media, despite isolated incidents, the voting proceeded smoothly and peacefully in general.

"I haven't felt this kind of election-day festive mood in Bangladesh since 2008," said Abdur Rahman, a Dhaka dweller. He added that he wishes this election would mark the beginning of a fresh chapter in the country's development and future progress.

"We hope that whichever party wins will keep the promises they made in their manifesto," he said.

Voters wait in line to cast their ballots in the National Parliament election and a public referendum in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb. 12, 2026. (Photo by Habibur Rahman/Xinhua)

The voting began at 7:30 a.m. in over 42,000 voting centers. According to the Election Commission, a total of 2,028 candidates are contesting for 299 out of the 300 directly-elected parliamentary constituencies. The election for the last seat will be held later because of the death of a candidate.

This is the South Asian country's first general election since Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister in August 2024 amid nationwide political chaos.

In Bangladesh, a party can form the government only if it clinches 151 seats in total.