B Mirror Report: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured an overwhelming mandate, winning more than a two-thirds majority in the 13th general election held on Thursday in a festive and peaceful atmosphere. The decisive triumph enables the BNP-led alliance to establish the next government.

The sweeping win clears the path for BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman to assume office as Prime Minister for the first time.

The Election Commission of Bangladesh (EC) released unofficial outcomes for 297 of the 299 parliamentary constituencies where voting took place, describing the polls as free and fair. However, results for two constituencies Chattogram-2 and Chattogram-4 were withheld. Polling in Sherpur-3 was postponed following the death of a candidate from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

According to preliminary figures, BNP captured 209 seats on its own. Its allies Gano Odhikar Parishad, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), and Gano Sanghati Andolon secured one seat each.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 seats independently, positioning itself as the principal opposition party. Its coalition partners National Citizen Party (NCP) claimed six seats, Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis obtained two, and Khelafat Majlish secured one seat.

Meanwhile, Islami Andolon Bangladesh won a single constituency, while independent contenders emerged victorious in seven seats.

Global reactions quickly followed the announcement. The United States, China, India, and Pakistan extended congratulations to Tarique Rahman for what was described as a historic and commanding victory in the 13th National Parliament Election.

The EC reported a voter turnout of 59.44 percent in the parliamentary election, while participation in the referendum stood at 60.26 percent. The referendum recorded 48,074,429 votes in favor and 22,565,627 against.

International observers and independent election monitoring bodies noted that the voting process was conducted peacefully and transparently, in line with international standards.

Balloting commenced at 7:30 am across 42,779 polling centers in 299 constituencies nationwide. A total of 127,711,793 registered voters were eligible to cast ballots, including 64,825,361 men, 62,885,200 women, and 1,232 third-gender voters.

Fifty political parties participated in the election, fielding 2,028 candidates, among them 273 independents. BNP nominated the highest number of candidates — 291 — while 83 female candidates contested the race.

To ensure smooth proceedings, approximately 800,000 election officials were deployed, excluding security personnel. The workforce included 69 returning officers, 598 assistant returning officers, 42,779 presiding officers, 247,482 assistant presiding officers, and 495,964 polling officers. Additionally, around 15,000 personnel handled postal voting responsibilities.

Security arrangements were extensive. Deployed forces included 103,000 army members, 8,500 navy and air force personnel, 37,453 Border Guard members, and 3,585 Coast Guard personnel. Police officers numbered 187,603, while 9,349 members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) were on duty. The largest contingent came from Ansar, with 567,868 members assigned to election security.

Monitoring the election were 55,454 observers from 81 domestic organizations and 394 international observers. Nearly 200 foreign journalists traveled to Bangladesh to cover the polls and the referendum. Of the international monitors, 80 represented global organizations, while others arrived from various countries, including independent European observer groups.