DHAKA: Vote counting in Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary election early Friday showed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) heading for a decisive victory, securing 151 seats so far and crossing the threshold for a parliamentary majority.

Preliminary results indicated that the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami would emerge as the main opposition, winning 43 seats. Results were still being tallied across the country, but trends pointed to a clear outcome in the 300-member parliament.

The election marked the first general polls since the July 2024 uprising that ended former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, making it a pivotal moment in Bangladesh’s political transition.

Polling took place in 299 of the country’s 300 constituencies on Thursday. Voting in Sherpur-3 was postponed following the death of a parliamentary candidate. According to the Election Commission, more than 127 million voters were eligible to cast ballots in the country of around 170 million people.

Voting began at 7:30am and continued uninterrupted for nine hours, with voters casting two ballots—one for the parliamentary election and another for a national referendum—using transparent ballot boxes at 42,659 polling stations nationwide. Voter turnout stood at 47.91% in 36,031 centres as of 2pm, the Election Commission said.

Observers reported a largely peaceful polling day, with visible voter turnout across the capital and other urban centres. Long queues were seen at several polling stations in Dhaka, including Banani Model School, where voters of all ages waited to cast their ballots.

“This is the first time in my life I have voted in a peaceful and organised election,” said Tahmina Haque, a young voter in Dhaka.

Election officials reported no major disruptions, though some independent candidates alleged that their polling agents faced obstruction at certain centres. Polling agents from BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami were present at most stations visited by reporters.

The BNP, led by Tarique Rahman, who returned to the country after 17 years in exile, contested the election amid a fractured opposition landscape. Rahman is the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who died in December.

Bangladesh’s politics have long been dominated by rivalry between the BNP and the Awami League. This election, however, saw Jamaat-e-Islami lead an 11-party alliance that emerged as the BNP’s principal challenger.

Vote counting is expected to continue into Friday, with officials noting that the simultaneous referendum has slowed the process, as ballots must be separated before final tallies are announced.