Bangladesh: Counting underway after election

POBNEWS24,  Dhaka Feb 12, 2026 : The 13th National Assembly elections and the much-discussed historic referendum on constitutional reform have concluded in a festive and peaceful atmosphere across Bangladesh. Voting began from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm without a break. After the voting ended, center-based vote counting is now underway across the country.
Crowds of people began gathering in front of polling stations in different parts of the country before dawn. As the morning progressed, that crowd turned into long queues. A festive atmosphere prevailed at most centers with the presence of voters of all ages – women, men, young, old.
Voters were seen spontaneously exercising their voting rights across the country. The spontaneous presence of voters was noticeable in the capital Dhaka and divisional and district cities since morning. Some brought their families to the polling stations, while others came with their neighbors.
The latest tally by the Election Commission was 47.91 percent nationwide by 2 pm. Election Commission (EC) Secretary Akhtar Ahmed gave this information while briefing reporters at the Election Commission (EC) building in Agargaon on Thursday (February 12) afternoon.
The EC Secretary said that voters spontaneously exercised their right to vote in 299 constituencies across the country and the voting was generally fair and peaceful. Although there were isolated complaints of irregularities or disturbances, the immediate action of law enforcement agencies was able to bring the situation under control and no major untoward incident occurred, the commission claimed.
Voters have gone through a completely new experience in this election. Along with the ballot for the election of members of parliament, they also voted ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the issue of implementing the ‘July Charter 2025’ aimed at radically changing the constitution. Long queues of voters have been seen at the centers since morning. The presence of women and elderly voters was particularly noticeable. Although there was a huge frenzy among the youth to vote, the crowd of middle-aged people was more in the morning. Strict surveillance by a joint force consisting of the army, police, BGB and Ansar was observed inside and outside each center for security reasons. Although political workers and supporters were present at the booths of the candidates, no major clashes or tension were reported. According to Election Commission sources, 127.711 million voters in Sherpur-3 constituency got the opportunity to exercise their voting rights in 299 parliamentary constituencies today as the election for that constituency was postponed due to the death of the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate. Of these, 64.825 million are male voters and 62.885 million are female voters. A total of 50 political parties participated in the election in 42,779 centers. Out of a total of 2,028 candidates, 1,755 are party members and 273 are independent candidates.
Meanwhile, the Principal Advisor to the Interim Government, Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, expressed his sincere congratulations and gratitude to the entire nation for the peaceful, orderly and festive atmosphere of the 13th National Assembly elections and referendum.
After the voting, he said, “The spontaneous participation of voters, the responsible behavior of political parties, the restraint of candidates and the professionalism of election-related institutions have together proven that our commitment to democracy is unwavering. The people have played an active role in determining the future of the country by exercising their constitutional rights.”