Bangladeshis head to the polls on Thursday, with nearly 128 million people eligible to vote, in a key test of the country’s return to democracy after a popular uprising toppled long-time leader Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
A recent opinion poll by the Dhaka-based Communication Research Foundation and Bangladesh Elections and Public Opinion Studies found corruption to be voters’ top concern.
Bangladesh has long ranked among the world’s worst performers in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
Both the frontrunning Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its main rival Jamaat-e-Islami, have made tackling graft central to their campaigns, with Jamaat’s anti-corruption image helping fuel its resurgence.
People vote during the 13th general election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, February 12, 2026. —Reuters
Voters stand in the queue to cast their vote at a polling station during the 13th general election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, February 12, 2026. —Reuters
A police officer mounted on a horse patrols outside a polling station during the national election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, February 12, 2026. —Reuters
Bangladesh Army personnel patrol along a street outside a polling station during Bangladesh’s general election in Dhaka on February 12, 2026. —Reuters
Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s Interim Government, Muhammad Yunus (R) gestures as he arrives to cast his ballot at a polling station during Bangladesh’s general election in Dhaka on February 12, 2026. —AFP
Supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ride a vehicle outside the polling station during the 13th general election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, February 12, 2026. —AFP
Police personnel patrol on horses along a street during Bangladesh’s general election in Dhaka on February 12, 2026. —AFP
Bangladeshi women wait to cast their ballot at a polling station during Bangladesh’s general election in Dhaka on February 12, 2026. —AFP
Bangladeshi women wait to cast their ballot at a polling station during Bangladesh’s general election in Dhaka on February 12, 2026. —AFP
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party leader Shafiqur Rahman (C) gestures to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during Bangladesh’s general election in Dhaka on February 12, 2026. —AFP
Security officials look on as voters arrive at a polling station during Bangladesh’s general election in Dhaka on February 12, 2026. —AFP
A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during Bangladesh’s general election in Dhaka on February 12, 2026. —AFP
Header image: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman and election candidate Tarique Rahman (C) casts his ballot at a polling station during Bangladesh’s general election in Dhaka on February 12, 2026. —AFP
