Counting starts after polls close in BangladeshAFP, DHAKACounting began yesterday in Bangladesh’s first election since a deadly 2024 uprising, with powerful political heir Tarique Rahman bullish about defeating an Islamist-led coalition. However, he faces a stiff challenge from a coalition led by the Muslim-majority country’s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami. An electoral official dumps ballots on to the floor as counting starts at a polling station during Bangladesh’s general election in Dhaka yesterday. By 2pm, more than 47 percent of voters had cast their ballots, the Bangladesh Election Commission said. Polls closed at 4:30pm and the counting started right away, with the results expected today.

Source: Taipei Times February 12, 2026 16:52 UTC