Bangladesh holds first election since Gen Z protests ousted Sheikh Hasina

Key facts

• Over 2,000 candidates contested 300 parliamentary seats in Bangladesh’s first election since Sheikh Hasina was ousted by student-led protests.
• The Awami League, Hasina’s party, was banned from contesting the polls.
• The main contest is between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a coalition led by Jamaat-e-Islami.
• Results are expected on Friday, with 49% turnout reported by 14:00 local time.
• Nearly 120 million people were eligible to vote, with about 40% under the age of 37.
• Nearly a million police and soldiers were deployed for security during the election.
• Sheikh Hasina, currently in exile in India, was convicted and sentenced to death in absentia for ordering the crackdown that killed up to 1,400 protesters.
• Voters also cast ballots on a referendum for constitutional change proposed by the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.