B’desh votes for 1st time post Hasina exit

The election results will also serve as an important test of whether popular protest movements by young people can translate into durable democratic change

- Agencies

DHAKA: Bangladeshis will cast ballots on Thursday in a crucial national election, the first since a mass uprising ended the 15-year rule of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Public expectation is running high that the vote could help reset democratic norms after more than a decade of disputed elections and shrinking political space.

The transition is being overseen by an interim administration led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, which has pledged a fair vote.

The election of a new Parliament will involve more than 127 million eligible voters in the nation of some 170 million people, with over 2,000 candidates contesting parliamentary seats nationwide. The Yunus-led administration has said that it is committed to holding elections that are free, fair and peaceful.