Bangladesh Elections 2026: Vote timings, key parties, candidates, results; What to know before polling

Here is what you need to know before the voting:

What time does voting start in Bangladesh?

Voting in the 13th parliamentary elections across Bangladesh is scheduled to begin at 7:30am (local time) and the polling will close at 4:30pm. Voting is set to take place across 42,779 centres in 299 constituencies as polling in Sherpur-3 has been postponed following the death of a candidate.

How does voting work in Bangladesh?

According to the Election Commission of Bangladesh (ECB), more than 12.77 crore voters are eligible to vote (aged 18 or above) as of October 31, 2025 which includes those who are registered to vote via postal ballot within and outside the country.

This is the first time that Bangladesh will have a postal voting system in place which would cater to its nearly 15 million overseas population, whose remittances form a significant contribution to Dhaka’s economy.

Bangladesh has a unicameral legislature, the Jatiyo Shangsad or the House of the Nation, with 350 constituencies and each constituency has a single representative. Voting takes place through the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system for 300 seats and the rest 50 are reserved for women.

Bangladesh’s key parties and candidates

Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s Tarique Rahman

Among the frontrunners in the Bangladesh polls, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is leading the charts with a coalition of 10 parties. The BNP is led by 60-year-old Tarique Rahman, who returned to the country from London after 17 years of self-imposed exile.

Rahman, who is the son of late former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has promised job creation, maintaining law and order and an enhanced level of freedom of speech in the country.

Rahman’s mother, Khaleda Zia rose to prominence in the 1990s after the assassination of her husband Ziaur Rahman in 1981. Khaleda was Bangladesh’s first female prime minister from 1991 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2006. During this period, BNP was supported by Jamaat-e-Islami (JIB) against Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Shafiqur Rahman

Jamaat-e-Islami, popularly known as Jamaat, is a coalition of 11 parties which includes the student movement led Nationalist Citizen Party (NCP) and is seen as the biggest challenger to Tarique Rahman’s BNP.

Jamaat is led by 67-year-old Shafiqur Rahman. NCP is a group which has been formed by students who spearheaded the protests against Hasina’s administration in 2024.

Jamaat was banned after the Bangladesh liberation war as it opposed the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. However, the BNP lifted the ban and Jamaat became an ally of Khaleda Zia’s party when it came to power in 1991 and 2006.

What do opinion polls suggest?

In a survey carried out by International Republican Institute (IRI) in December 2025, which is based in the United States, the BNP had the support of 33 percent. The survey by IRI placed Jamaat-e-Islami at close second with 29 percent support.

When to expect Bangladesh election results?

The results in previous elections in Bangladesh started to emerge the next morning. According to officials from the Bangladesh election commission, the results could take longer this time as this time around, it’ll involve both the parliamentary voting ballot and the ballots for the referendum on the July National Charter.

The final figure for the elections is expected to be declared by February 13 afternoon, the election officials have said. Due to the higher number of parties and candidates in this election, the final tally could take longer than expected.

Past results in Bangladesh polls

Year	Total Seats	Awami League	BNP	Jamaat
2001	300	62	193	17
2008	345	266	35	2
2014	345	273	Boycotted polls	–
2018	350	300	7	–
2024	350	272	Boycotted polls	–