Bangladeshis lined up outside polling booths on Thursday as voting began in a pivotal election for the South Asian nation after the 2024 ouster of long‑time premier Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z‑driven uprising. Analysts say a decisive result is crucial for steady governance in the nation of 175 million, as the deadly anti-Hasina protests triggered months of unrest and disrupted key industries, including the huge garments sector, the world’s second-largest exporter.
It is the world’s first election after an uprising led by under-30s, or Gen Z, to be followed by Nepal next month. The contest pits two coalitions led by former allies, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist Jamaat‑e‑Islami, with opinion polls giving an edge to the BNP. In Dhaka, the capital, people queued up outside voting booths before polls opened at 7:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT), including eager participants like Mohammed Jobair Hossain, 39, who said he last voted in 2008.