Bangladeshi girls stand in a queue to solid their votes at a polling station in Dhaka, Bangladesh. File
| Picture Credit score: AP
Bangladesh is about to carry its thirteenth nationwide parliamentary elections and a referendum on reforms on February 12, 2026, amidst a extremely unstable political local weather. With the once-dominant Awami League not collaborating within the upcoming elections and many citizens feeling unsure about their choices, the Bangladesh elections are in for a political rollercoaster, one which’s rife with unpredictability.
Greater than 127 million people are eligible to vote within the February 12 elections, an electoral course of that’s considered as one of the vital vital in a long time and the primary following the mass protests that ousted Sheikh Hasina from energy in August 2024.
Right here’s a fast overview of who can vote in Bangladesh elections, together with the related voter eligibility guidelines.
Who can vote in Bangladesh elections?
Solely Bangladeshi residents who’re 18 years previous or older on the day of the election are eligible to solid their votes, so long as their names are included within the last voter record compiled by the Election Fee.
Each citizen eligible to vote below the Electoral Roll Act of 2009 has the precise to acquire a Nationwide Identification Card of the required class, following the prescribed procedures and upon fee of the required charges. The Bangladesh Election Fee will subject just one Nationwide Identification Card to every citizen. To obtain the Nationwide Identification Card, every citizen should register their identification.
A big reform for the upcoming basic election is the implementation of postal voting for expatriates. For the primary time, Bangladesh’s diaspora, which is estimated to be round 15 million sturdy, can have the prospect to solid their votes from overseas.
Voter eligibility guidelines
In accordance with Article 122 of the Structure of the Individuals’s Republic of Bangladesh and Part 7 of the Electoral Rolls Act 2009, the {qualifications} for voter registration are as follows:
– The person should be a citizen of Bangladesh;
– They should be not less than eighteen years previous;
– They have to not be declared by a reliable court docket to be of unsound thoughts;
– They should be a resident or deemed to be a resident of an electoral space.
Revealed – February 07, 2026 12:35 pm IST