The 11-party electoral coalition led by Jamaat-e-Islami has praised the voting procedure in the 13th parliamentary election as “outstanding,” expressing optimism about achieving a “decisive victory” and securing the “most seats,” despite raising concerns about a few instances of violence and irregularities.
This response was conveyed during a media briefing held on behalf of the 11 parties at the central office of Jamaat-e-Islami in Moghbazar, Dhaka, at approximately 5:30 pm today.
In representation of the alliance, Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat, highlighted the significant turnout of voters who participated in the election spontaneously. He noted that the atmosphere was lively, peaceful, and engaging, surpassing previous elections and potentially setting a new benchmark in Bangladesh’s electoral narrative.
“We are eagerly anticipating the prompt announcement of results. We will closely monitor the progression,” Zubair remarked.
Polling commenced at 7:30 am today and proceeded without interruption until 4:30 pm. In addition to the parliamentary elections, a referendum was also conducted.
The final voter turnout is yet to be determined, but the Election Commission reported that approximately 48 percent of votes were cast at 36,000 out of 43,000 polling stations nationwide by 2:00 pm.
Despite a few isolated incidents, with reports indicating four fatalities nationwide during the voting process, no major disruptions were witnessed.
The 11-party electoral coalition includes Jamaat, the National Citizen Party (NCP), Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, Khelafat Majlis, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party), Bangladesh Development Party (BDP), Bangladesh Nezame Islam Party, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa), Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan, and Bangladesh Labour Party, all of which were represented at the press conference.