Voting in Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliamentary Election and the simultaneous referendum ended at 4:30 pm on Thursday in 299 constituencies nationwide.
The Election Commission said polling began at 7:30 am and was conducted without major disruption. Voters who were inside polling centre premises before the official closing time were permitted to cast their ballots.
Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat Akhter Ahmed stated that voter turnout stood at 32.88 percent as of 12 noon. Addressing reporters at Nirbachon Bhaban in Agargaon, he said turnout data had been received from 32,789 of the 42,651 polling centres across the country.
He added that a revised data collection system was used this time to improve accuracy, with information now being gathered from Assistant Returning Officers instead of presiding officers.
Despite a few isolated incidents, including grenade explosions in two districts, no polling centre suspended voting, the EC official said, adding that the overall situation remained under control. Four people reportedly died due to health complications during the day. Some political parties, however, raised concerns over the conduct of the election.
With polling now complete, counting of votes is set to begin. Results will be announced after consolidation by returning officers and the Election Commission.
