Elections in Bangladesh

Scene from a polling booth in Bangladesh

Bangladesh elects on national level a legislature with one house or chamber. The unicameral Jatiyo Sangshad, meaning national parliament, has 350 members of which 300 members are directly elected through a national election for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies while 50 memberships are reserved for the women who are selected by the ruling party or coalition. The Prime Minister is the head of the government. The president who is the head of the state is elected by the National Parliament. The president of Bangladesh is a ceremonial post and does not exercise any control over the running of the state.

Bangladesh has an unofficial two-party system which has evolved over time since the election of 1991. It means that there are two dominant political parties or coalitions, one headed by Bangladesh Awami League and the other by Bangladesh Nationalist Party, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party in terms of achieving a majority. However, the Jatiya Party (Ershad) also has gained electoral success over the years, winning several local and mayoral elections and being the primary opposition party since 2008.

Historical Overview

The constitution was adopted in 1972 and declared Bangladesh as a parliamentary republic. However, in 1975 executive powers were transferred to the Presidency, reducing the Jatiyo Sangshad and the Prime Minister to legislative powers only. This system was maintained until 1991 when the Twelfth Amendment was passed, returning the state to a parliamentary system. Since 1971, 11 parliamentary elections have been held and three Presidential elections have been held by popular vote.

Parliamentary elections

Electoral system

Facade of building across artificial lake

Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban

The Parliament of Bangladesh (Jatiya Sangsad) consists of 350 members elected to five-year terms. Of that number, 300 are elected in single-member territorial constituencies according to the first-past-the-post electoral system. The remaining 50 seats are reserved for women, and are filled on the basis of proportional representation by a vote of the 300 members. The number of reserved seats has been revised over the years, increasing from 30 to 45 under the 8th parliament and 45 to 50 under the 9th parliament.^[1]

General elections

Since independence in 1971, 11 general elections have been held in Bangladesh to elect members of the Jatiya Sangsad:

1970

1970 Pakistani general election

The 1970 Pakistani National Assembly election was held on 7 December 1970. In East Pakistan, The total number of voters were 29,479,386. The number of casting votes was 17,005,163 (57.68%), the valid casting votes was 16,454,278.^[2]

Party	Votes	%	Seats
Awami League	12,338,921	74.9	160
Jamaat-e-Islami	991,908	6.0	0
Pakistan Democratic Party	483,571	2.9	1
Pakistan Muslim League (Convention)	464,185	2.8	0
National Awami Party (Wali)	310,986	1.8	0
Pakistan Muslim League (Kou)	274,453	1.6	0
Pakistan Muslim League (Kayum)	175,822	1.0	0
Independent	561,083	3.4	1

1970 East Pakistan Provincial Assembly election

The 1970 East Pakistan Provincial Assembly election was held on 17 December 1970. The percentage of casting votes was (57.69%), and the number of reserved women seat was 10.^[3]


Party		Seats
	Awami League	288
	Pakistan Democratic Party	2
	National Awami Party (Wali)	1
	Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan	1
	Nizam-e-Islam Party	1
	Independents	7
Total		300

Source: Baxter^[4]

1973

The 1973 general election was held on 7 March 1973. There were 15 seats reserved for women.^[5]



Party		Votes	%	Seats
Party		Votes	%	General	Reserved	Total	+/–
	Awami League	13,798,717	73.20	293	15	308	+10
	National Awami Party (Muzaffar)	1,569,299	8.32	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal	1,229,110	6.52	1	0	1	New
	National Awami Party (Bhashani)	1,002,771	5.32	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jatiya League	62,354	0.33	1	0	1	+1
	Bangla Jatiya League	53,097	0.28	0	0	0	New
	Communist Party of Bangladesh	47,211	0.25	0	0	0	New
	Sramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal	38,421	0.20	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Communist Party (Leninist)	18,619	0.10	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Shramik Federation	17,271	0.09	0	0	0	New
	Banglar Communist Party	11,911	0.06	0	0	0	New
	Bangla Chattra Union	7,564	0.04	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jatiya Congress	3,761	0.02	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Ganatantrik Dal	1,818	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Independents	989,884	5.25	5	0	5	–2
Total		18,851,808	100.00	300	15	315	+5

Valid votes		18,851,808	97.53
Invalid/blank votes		477,875	2.47
Total votes		19,329,683	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		35,205,642	54.91
Source: Nohlen et al., Government of Bangladesh, Kumar Panday

1979

The 1979 general election was held on 18 February 1979.^[6] There were 30 seats reserved for women.^[7]



Party		Votes	%	Seats
Party		Votes	%	General	Reserved	Total	+/–
	Bangladesh Nationalist Party	7,934,236	41.17	207	30	237	New
	Awami League	4,734,277	24.56	39	0	39	–269
	Bangladesh Muslim League–Islamic Democratic League	1,941,394	10.07	20	0	20	New
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal	931,851	4.83	8	0	8	+7
	Awami League (Mizan)	535,426	2.78	2	0	2	New
	National Awami Party (Muzaffar)	432,514	2.24	1	0	1	New
	United Peoples' Party	170,955	0.89	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Gono Front	115,622	0.60	2	0	2	New
	National Awami Party (Nurur-Zahid)	88,385	0.46	0	0	0	New
	Communist Party of Bangladesh	75,455	0.39	0	0	0	0
	Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist–Leninist)	74,771	0.39	1	0	1	New
	Bangladesh Jatiya League	69,319	0.36	2	0	2	+1
	Jatiya Ekata Party	44,459	0.23	1	0	1	New
	Bangladesh Ganatantrik Andolan	34,259	0.18	1	0	1	New
	Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal	27,259	0.14	0	0	0	New
	National Awami Party (Naser)	25,336	0.13	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Janata Dal	18,748	0.10	0	0	0	New
	National Republican Party for Parity	14,429	0.07	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Janata Party	10,932	0.06	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Labour Party	7,738	0.04	0	0	0	New
	People's Democratic Party	5,703	0.03	0	0	0	New
	Sramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal	4,954	0.03	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Democratic Party	3,564	0.02	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jatiya Mukti Party	3,363	0.02	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Tanti Samity	1,834	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Nezam-e-Islam Party	1,575	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Gano Azadi League	1,378	0.01	0	0	0	New
	United Republican Party	389	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chashi Dal	130	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Independents	1,963,345	10.19	16	0	16	+15
Total		19,273,600	100.00	300	30	330	+15

Valid votes		19,273,600	97.95
Invalid/blank votes		402,524	2.05
Total votes		19,676,124	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		38,363,858	51.29
Source: Nohlen et al., IPU, Government of Bangladesh

1986

The 1986 general election was held on 7 May 1986. There were 30 seats reserved for women.^[8]



Party		Votes	%	Seats
Party		Votes	%	General	Reserved	Total	+/–
	Jatiya Party	12,079,259	42.34	153	30	183	New
	Awami League	7,462,157	26.16	76	0	76	+37
	Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami	1,314,057	4.61	10	0	10	New
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab)	725,303	2.54	4	0	4	New
	Bangladesh Muslim League	412,765	1.45	4	0	4	+4
	National Awami Party	369,824	1.30	5	0	5	+5
	Communist Party of Bangladesh	259,728	0.91	5	0	5	+5
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Siraj)	248,705	0.87	3	0	3	New
	National Awami Party (Muzaffar)	202,520	0.71	2	0	2	+1
	Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League	191,107	0.67	3	0	3	New
	Workers Party of Bangladesh	151,828	0.53	3	0	3	New
	Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan	123,306	0.43	0	0	0	New
	Jana Dal	98,100	0.34	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Nagarik Sanghati	68,290	0.24	0	0	0	New
	Islami Jukta Front	50,509	0.18	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Janata Party (Odud)	46,704	0.16	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal (M-L)	36,944	0.13	0	0	0	New
	Gano Azadi League	23,632	0.08	0	0	0	0
	Bangladesh Islamic Andolan	22,931	0.08	0	0	0	New
	Jamaaiatay Olamaya Islam	5,676	0.02	0	0	0	New
	Jamaaiatay Olamaya Islam-Nezam-e-Islami party	5,572	0.02	0	0	0	New
	Pragotishil Jatiyatabadi Dal	2,997	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Janata Party (Sujat)	1,988	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jayita League	1,985	0.01	0	0	0	–2
	Bangladesh Hindu Oikkya Front	1,338	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal	149	0.00	0	0	0	0
	Young Muslim Society	141	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Islamic Republican Party	110	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Independents	4,619,025	16.19	32	0	32	+16
Total		28,526,650	100.00	300	30	330	0

Valid votes		28,526,650	98.69
Invalid/blank votes		377,209	1.31
Total votes		28,903,859	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		47,305,886	61.10
Source: Nohlen et al., IPU, Government of Bangladesh

1988

The 1988 general election was held on 3 March 1988. There were 30 seats reserved for women.^[9]


Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Jatiya Party	17,680,133	68.44	251	+98
	Combined Opposition Party	3,263,340	12.63	19	New
	Bangladesh Freedom Party	850,284	3.29	2	New
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Siraj)	309,666	1.20	3	0
	Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan	105,910	0.41	0	0
	23-Party Alliance	102,930	0.40	0	New
	Ganatantra Bastabayan Party	4,209	0.02	0	New
	Jana Dal	28,929	0.11	0	0
	Independents	3,487,457	13.50	25	–7
Total		25,832,858	100.00	300	0

Source: Nohlen, Government of Bangladesh

1991

The 1991 general election was held on 13 January 1991. There were 30 seats reserved for women.^[10]


Party		Votes	%	Seats
Party		Votes	%	General	Reserved	Total	+/–
	Bangladesh Nationalist Party	10,507,549	30.81	140	28	168	New
	Awami League	10,259,866	30.08	88	0	88	New
	Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami	4,136,661	12.13	18	2	20	New
	Jatiya Party	4,063,537	11.92	35	0	35	–216
	Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League	616,014	1.81	5	0	5	New
	Zaker Party	417,737	1.22	0	0	0	New
	Communist Party of Bangladesh	407,515	1.19	5	0	5	New
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab)	269,451	0.79	0	0	0	New
	Islami Oikya Jote	269,434	0.79	1	0	1	New
	National Awami Party (Muzaffar)	259,978	0.76	1	0	1	New
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu)	171,011	0.50	0	0	0	New
	Ganatantri Party	152,529	0.45	1	0	1	New
	National Democratic Party	121,918	0.36	1	0	1	New
	Bangladesh Janata Dal	120,729	0.35	0	0	0	New
	United Communist League of Bangladesh	110,517	0.32	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan	93,049	0.27	0	0	0	0
	Bangladesh Freedom Party	90,781	0.27	0	0	0	–2
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Siraj)	84,276	0.25	1	0	1	–2
	Bangladesh Muslim League (Ainuddin)	66,565	0.20	0	0	0	New
	Workers Party of Bangladesh	63,434	0.19	1	0	1	New
	Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Khaliquzzaman)	34,868	0.10	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Muslim League (Kader)	32,693	0.10	0	0	0	New
	Janata Mukti Party	30,962	0.09	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Ganotantrik Party	24,761	0.07	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Inquilab Party	24,310	0.07	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Oikkya Front	21,624	0.06	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Janata Party–Ganatantrik Oikkya Jote	20,568	0.06	0	0	0	New
	Jomiyatay Wulamayya Islami Party	15,073	0.04	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Mahbub)	13,413	0.04	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Hindu League	11,941	0.04	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal (Marxist-Leninist)	11,275	0.03	0	0	0	New
	Oikkya Prakriyya	11,074	0.03	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Muslim League (Matin)	11,073	0.03	0	0	0	New
	National Awami Party (Bhashani)	9,129	0.03	0	0	0	New
	Pragotishil Jatiyatabadi Dal	6,677	0.02	0	0	0	New
	Sramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal	6,396	0.02	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Biplobi Front	3,671	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Pragotishil Ganatantrik Sakt	3,598	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Janata Party (Ashraf)	3,187	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jatiya Tanti Dal	3,115	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Muslim League (Yusuf)	2,757	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Jukta Front	2,668	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Janata Party (Asad)	1,570	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh National Congress	1,421	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Chhashi Dal	1,317	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Gano Azadi League (Samad)	1,314	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Janasakti Party	1,263	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Nezam-e-Islam Party	1,236	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Islamic Samajtantrik Dal Bangladesh	1,039	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Freedom League	1,034	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Peoples Democratic Party	879	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh People's League (Goariobi Newaz)	742	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Mukti Dal	723	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jana Parishad	686	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Muslim Peoples Party	515	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Mukti Andolan	503	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh National Hindu Party	502	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal	496	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Democratic League	453	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Humanitarian organization for the prevention of smoking and drug abuse (JIFSA)	453	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Tarun Sangha	417	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Labour Party	318	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Manobatabadi Dal	294	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Ideal Party	251	0.00	0	0	0	New
	National Awami Party (Sadequr Rahman)	248	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Khilafat Party	241	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Islamic Biplobi Parishad	214	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Islami Front	202	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Bekar Samaj	182	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Adarsha Krishak Dal	154	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Islamic Revolutionary Party	138	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Bekar Party	39	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Sramajibi Party	28	0.00	0	0	0	New
	National Awami Party (Nur Mohammad Kazi)	27	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jatiya People's Party	25	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Independents	1,497,369	4.39	3	0	3	–22
Total		34,103,677	100.00	300	30	330	+30

Valid votes		34,103,677	98.92
Invalid/blank votes		374,026	1.08
Total votes		34,477,703	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		62,181,743	55.45
Source: Nohlen et al., Bangladesh Election Commission, Kumar Panday

1996

Following boycotts by the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Awami League, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party won the uncontested February 1996 general election. However, amidst protests, they were made to cave in to Awami League's original demands, dissolve the parliament, and hold elections under a neutral caretaker government after the enactment of the 13th amendment.



Party		Votes	%	Seats
Party		Votes	%	General	Reserved	Total	+/–
	Bangladesh Nationalist Party			278	30	308	+140
	Bangladesh Freedom Party			1	0	1	0
	Independents			10	0	10	+7
Vacant				11	0	11	–
Total				300	30	330	0

Total votes		11,776,481	–
Registered voters/turnout		56,149,182	20.97
Source: Nohlen et al., Kumar Panday

Bangladesh Awami League won the June 1996 general election for the first time since 1973 by forming a coalition government, since they fell 5 seats short of a majority.



Party		Votes	%	Seats
Party		Votes	%	General	Reserved	Total	+/–
	Awami League	15,882,792	37.44	146	27	173	New
	Bangladesh Nationalist Party	14,255,986	33.61	116	0	116	–192
	Jatiya Party	6,954,981	16.40	32	3	35	New
	Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami	3,653,013	8.61	3	0	3	New
	Islami Oikya Jote	461,517	1.09	1	0	1	New
	Zaker Party	167,597	0.40	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab)	97,916	0.23	1	0	1	New
	Workers Party of Bangladesh	56,404	0.13	0	0	0	New
	Gano Forum	54,250	0.13	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu)	50,944	0.12	0	0	0	New
	Communist Party of Bangladesh	48,549	0.11	0	0	0	New
	Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh	45,585	0.11	0	0	0	New
	Sammilita Sangram Parishad	40,803	0.10	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Freedom Party	38,974	0.09	0	0	0	New
	Samridhya Bangladesh Andolon	27,083	0.06	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Islami Front	23,696	0.06	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan	18,397	0.04	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jatiyabadi Awami League	11,190	0.03	0	0	0	New
	Islami Shasantantra Andolon	11,159	0.03	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (Khalekuzzaman)	10,234	0.02	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Mahbub)	6,791	0.02	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP Bashani)	5,948	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Muslim League (Jamir Ali)	4,580	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Ganatantri Party	4,114	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP)	3,620	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Democratic Republican Party	3,605	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Janata Party	3,364	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Janata Party (Nurul Islam)	2,986	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Janata Party (Sheikh Asad)	2,395	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Social Democratic Party	1,938	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Gano Azadi League	1,683	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Progotisil Jatiata Badi Dal	1,515	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Hak Kathar Mancha	1,340	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal (Marxist-Leninist)	1,148	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Sramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal	964	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Communist Kendra	888	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Biplobi Front	631	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Saat Dalya Jote (Mirpur)	602	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Hindu League	570	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Peoples Party	558	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Bekar Samaj	548	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Tafsil Jati Federation (S.K. Mandal)	537	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Desh Prem Party	532	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Ganotantrik Sarbahara Party	502	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jatiya League (Sobhan)	418	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Jana Dal	395	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Mahiuddin)	393	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Seba Dal	365	0.00	0	0	0	New
	National Democratic Party	353	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Krisak Sramik Janata Party	294	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Islami Al Zihad Dal	288	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Sarbahara Party	248	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Daridra Party	244	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Sramajibi Oikya Forum	229	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Islamic Dal Bangladesh (Saifur)	221	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh People's League	213	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Samajtantrik Samsad (Darshan Shava)	209	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Mukti Andolon	189	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Gano Oikkya Front (Guff)	186	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Mehanati Front	173	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Tafsili Federation (Sudir)	150	0.00	0	0	0	New
	People's Muslim League	140	0.00	0	0	0	New
	National Awami Party (NAP Bhashani)	138	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Quran Dorshion Sangshta Bangladesh	137	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Progatishil Gonotantrik Shakti	134	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Islami Party	132	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jatiya Agragati Party	131	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Oikya Prokria	112	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Bashani Adarsha Bastabayan Parishad	107	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Bastuhara Parishad	105	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh National Congress	99	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Quran Sunna Bastabayan Party	82	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Tanjimul Muslimin	81	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Samridhya Bangladesh Babosai Samproday	48	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bashani Front	45	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Krishak Raj Islami Party	33	0.00	0	0	0	New
	National Patriotic Party	31	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Islami Biplobi Parishad	29	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Taherikay Olama-e-Bangladesh	29	0.00	0	0	0	New
	United Peoples' Party	26	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Manabodjikar Dal	20	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Independents	449,618	1.06	1	0	1	New
Total		42,418,274	100.00	300	30	330	0

Valid votes		42,418,274	98.92
Invalid/blank votes		462,302	1.08
Total votes		42,880,576	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		56,716,935	75.60
Source: Bangladesh Election Commission, Kumar Panday

2001

BNP won two-thirds majority in the parliament and won the 2001 general election.


Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Bangladesh Nationalist Party	22,833,978	40.97	193
	Awami League	22,365,516	40.13	62
	Islami Jatiya Oikya Front	4,038,453	7.25	14
	Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami	2,385,361	4.28	17
	Bangladesh Jatiya Party	621,772	1.12	4
	Islami Oikya Jote	376,343	0.68	2
	Krishak Sramik Janata League	261,344	0.47	1
	Jatiya Party (Manju)	243,617	0.44	1
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal	119,382	0.21	0
	Communist Party of Bangladesh	56,991	0.10	0
	Workers Party of Bangladesh	40,484	0.07	0
	Bangladesh Islami Front	30,761	0.06	0
	BASAD–Khalekuzzaman	21,164	0.04	0
	Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh	19,256	0.03	0
	Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan	13,472	0.02	0
	Gano Forum	8,494	0.02	0
	Islami Shasantantra Andolon	5,944	0.01	0
	Liberal Party Bangladesh	3,976	0.01	0
	National Awami Party (NAP)	3,801	0.01	0
	Bangladesh Progressive Party	3,734	0.01	0
	Ganatantri Party	3,190	0.01	0
	Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal	2,308	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Janata Party	1,703	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Mukti Andolon	1,248	0.00	0
	Jaker Party	1,181	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Peoples Congress	1,155	0.00	0
	Communist Kendra	1,042	0.00	0
	Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist–Leninist)	972	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Hindu League	922	0.00	0
	Gano Azadi League	780	0.00	0
	Jatiyo Janata Party (Adv. Nurul Islam Khan)	657	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Muslim League (Jamir Ali)	582	0.00	0
	National Patriotic Party	551	0.00	0
	National Awami Party (Bhashani)	442	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Jatiya Tanti Dal	441	0.00	0
	Samridha Bangladesh Andolon	429	0.00	0
	Sramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal	391	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Peoples Party	382	0.00	0
	Desh Prem Party	366	0.00	0
	Democratic Republican Party	364	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Manabadhikar Dal	237	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Krisak Sramik Janata Party	197	0.00	0
	Liberal Democrats Party	170	0.00	0
	Quran Darshan Sangstha Bangladesh	161	0.00	0
	Jatiya Janata Party (Sheik Asad)	148	0.00	0
	Pragatishil Ganotantrik Shakti	136	0.00	0
	Sama-Samaj Ganotantri Party	131	0.00	0
	National Awami Party (NAP-Bhashani Mushtaq)	79	0.00	0
	Quran and Sunnah Bastabayan Party	77	0.00	0
	Bhashani Front	76	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League	59	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Bhashani Adarsha Bastabayan Parishad	58	0.00	0
	Bangladesh Sarbahara Party	44	0.00	0
	Jatiya Janata Party (Hafizur)	30	0.00	0
	Independents	2,262,073	4.06	6
Total		55,736,625	100.00	300

Valid votes		55,736,625	99.20
Invalid/blank votes		449,082	0.80
Total votes		56,185,707	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		74,946,364	74.97
Source: ECB

2008

Bangladesh Awami League won two-thirds majority in the parliament and won the 2008 general election.


General seats results by alliance (left) and party (right)
Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats
Party or alliance				Votes	%	General	Reserved	Total	+/–
	Grand Alliance		Awami League	33,634,629	48.04	230	36	266	+204
			Jatiya Party (Ershad)	4,926,360	7.04	27	4	31	+17
			Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal	506,605	0.72	3	0	3	+3
			Workers Party of Bangladesh	262,093	0.37	2	0	2	+2
			Liberal Democratic Party	191,679	0.27	1	0	1	New
		Total		39,521,366	56.45	263	40	303	+226
	Four Party Alliance		Bangladesh Nationalist Party	22,757,101	32.50	30	5	35	–158
			Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami	3,289,967	4.70	2	0	2	–15
			Bangladesh Jatiya Party	173,292	0.25	1	0	1	–3
			Islami Oikya Jote	108,415	0.15	0	0	0	–2
		Total		26,328,775	37.61	33	5	38	–178
	Islami Andolan Bangladesh			658,254	0.94	0	0	0	0
	Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh			175,245	0.25	0	0	0	0
	Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh			146,827	0.21	0	0	0	New
	Zaker Party			134,933	0.19	0	0	0	0
	Jatiya Ganotantrik Party			107,796	0.15	0	0	0	New
	Krishak Sramik Janata League			102,879	0.15	0	0	0	–1
	Gano Forum			72,911	0.10	0	0	0	0
	Communist Party of Bangladesh			42,331	0.06	0	0	0	0
	Socialist Party of Bangladesh			38,643	0.06	0	0	0	0
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab)			37,350	0.05	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Islami Front			31,785	0.05	0	0	0	0
	Khelafat Majlish			27,921	0.04	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh National Awami Party			24,141	0.03	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Kalayan Party			21,609	0.03	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Tarikat Federation			19,905	0.03	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan			16,944	0.02	0	0	0	0
	Progressive Democratic Party			14,228	0.02	0	0	0	New
	National People's Party			10,348	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jatiya Party			8,383	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Party (Manju)			7,818	0.01	0	0	0	–1
	Bangladesh NAP			4,365	0.01	0	0	0	New
	People's Front			4,009	0.01	0	0	0	New
	United Citizens Movement			3,542	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Ganatantri Party			2,550	0.00	0	0	0	0
	Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh			2,021	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Muslim League			1,113	0.00	0	0	0	0
	Islamic Front Bangladesh			1,020	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Freedom Party			566	0.00	0	0	0	New
	Communist Party of Bangladesh (ML)			297	0.00	0	0	0	0
	Independents			2,060,392	2.94	4	0	4	–2
None of the above				381,924	0.55	–	–	–	–
Total				70,012,191	100.00	300	45	345	+45

Valid votes				70,012,191	99.10
Invalid/blank votes				636,294	0.90
Total votes				70,648,485	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				81,087,003	87.13
Source: ECB, Asian Tribune

2014

In the 2014 general election the Awami League was declared victors in 127 of the 154 uncontested seats by default on 5 January 2014.^[11] Of the remaining uncontested seats, the Jatiya Party led by Rowshan Ershad won 20, the JSD won three, the Workers Party won two and the Jatiya Party (Manju) won one.^[12]

As a result of violence and the opposition boycott voter turnout was 22%.^[13]^[14] Results of 139 seats out of 147 were released, with the Awami League winning 105, the Jatiya Party winning 13, the Workers Party winning four, the JSD winning two and the Tarikat Federation and BNF winning one each.^[12] The remaining 8 constituencies election were suspended due to violence and re-election to be held.^[12] The newly elected MPs were sworn in on 9 January.^[15]



Party		Votes	%	Seats
Party		Votes	%	General	Reserved	Total
	Awami League	12,357,374	72.14	234	39	273
	Jatiya Party	1,199,727	7.00	34	6	40
	Workers Party of Bangladesh	359,620	2.10	6	1	7
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal	203,799	1.19	5	1	6
	Bangladesh Tarikat Federation	177,449	1.04	2	0	2
	Jatiya Party (Manju)	124,389	0.73	2	0	2
	Bangladesh Nationalist Front	107,990	0.63	1	0	1
	Bangladesh National Awami Party	7,120	0.04	0	0	0
	Khelafat Majlish	5,725	0.03	0	0	0
	Gano Front	2,717	0.02	0	0	0
	Bangladesh Islami Front	2,585	0.02	0	0	0
	Ganatantri Party	2,031	0.01	0	0	0
	Independents	2,579,324	15.06	16	3	19
Total		17,129,850	100.00	300	50	350

Valid votes		17,129,850	98.49
Invalid/blank votes		263,037	1.51
Total votes		17,392,887	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		43,943,184	39.58
Source: Parliament, Election Commission, IPU

2018

The 2018 general election held on 30 December 2018, voter turnout was 80%. Bangladesh Awami League under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won their 4th term as the ruling party with 302 seats. The Jatiya Party became the main opposition party with only 26 seats.^[16]



Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Awami League^{[lower-roman 1]}	63,523,066	74.63	302	+29
	Bangladesh Nationalist Party^{[lower-roman 2]}	11,113,253	13.06	7	+7
	Jatiya Party	4,443,351	5.22	26	–8
	Islami Andolan Bangladesh	1,255,373	1.47	0	–
	Workers Party of Bangladesh^{[lower-roman 3]}	646,064	0.76	4	–2
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal^{[lower-roman 4]}	610,044	0.72	2	–3
	Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh^{[lower-roman 5]}	565,940	0.66	2	+2
	Bangladesh Tarikat Federation^{[lower-roman 6]}	429,955	0.51	1	–1
	Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal^{[lower-roman 7]}	282,313	0.33	1	+1
	Jatiya Party (Manju)	182,611	0.21	1	–1
	Zaker Party	109,440	0.13	0	–
	Gano Forum	103,535	0.12	2	+2
	Bangladesh Islami Front	60,372	0.07	0	–
	Communist Party of Bangladesh	55,421	0.07	0	–
	National People's Party	36,611	0.04	0	–
	Islamic Front Bangladesh	31,468	0.04	0	–
	Liberal Democratic Party	25,152	0.03	0	–
	Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh	18,043	0.02	0	–
	Socialist Party of Bangladesh	17,591	0.02	0	–
	Bangladesh Muslim League	15,116	0.02	0	–
	Bangladesh Nationalist Front	13,289	0.02	0	–1
	Islami Oikya Jote	11,328	0.01	0	–
	Khelafat Majlish	11,203	0.01	0	–
	Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan	9,796	0.01	0	–
	Bangladesh National Awami Party	8,367	0.01	0	–
	Progressive Democratic Party	6,113	0.01	0	–
	Gano Front	5,277	0.01	0	–
	Bangladesh National Awami Party-Bangladesh NAP	5,176	0.01	0	–
	Bangladesh Jatiya Party (Mukit)	4,606	0.01	0	–
	Jatiya Ganotantrik Party	3,798	0.00	0	–
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab)	3,119	0.00	0	–
	Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish	2,899	0.00	0	–
	Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh	2,351	0.00	0	–
	Ganatantri Party	1,641	0.00	0	–
	Bangladesh Cultural Liberation Front (Muktijote)	1,219	0.00	0	–
	Krishak Sramik Janata League	597	0.00	0	–
	Communist Party of Bangladesh (M-L)	387	0.00	0	–
	Bangladesh Muslim League-BML	228	0.00	0	–
	Bangladesh Jatiya Party	111	0.00	0	–
	Bangladesh Kalyan Party	55	0.00	0	–
	Independents	1,498,152	1.76	2	–12
Total		85,114,431	100.00	350	+50

Registered voters/turnout		104,142,381	80.20
Source: ECS, ECS, ECS, Daily Star, Financial Express, Dhaka Tribune, Daily Star, Daily Star, parliament.gov.bd, IFES

2024

The 2024 general election held on 8 January 2024, voter turnout was 40% (whilst rumors suggest turnout to be below 10%) as a result of opposition boycott. Bangladesh Awami League under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won their 5th term as the ruling party with 223 seats with two other parties(jatiya party and trinamul BNP) securing 6 seats. Other than the political parties, independents won a total of 63 seats.^[17]IIndia and China have already congratulated the daughter of Bangladesh for her landslide victory over the competition.

2018 Bangladeshi general election

Presidential elections

From independence until constitutional reform in 1991, the President was elected by popular vote, although this only happened on three occasions - 1978, 1981 and 1986.

Following constitutional reform and a return to a parliamentary democracy in 1991, the office of the President has been largely a ceremonial one. The President is elected by a vote in the Jatiya Sangsad. A Presidential term is for five-years, although they remain in office until their successor is elected. Elections under this system have taken place in 1991, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2013 and 2018.

1978

The 1978 Bangladeshi presidential elections were held on 3 June 1978. They were the first direct elections for the post President, as the post had previously been elected by the Jatiya Sangsad. The result was a victory for Ziaur Rahman, who won 76.6% of the vote. Turnout was 54.3%.

Candidate	Party	Votes	%
Ziaur Rahman	Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Front	15,733,807	76.6
M. A. G. Osmani	Ganatantrik Oikkya Jote	4,455,200	21.7
Eight other candidates		342,554	1.7
Invalid/blank votes		354,010	–
Total		20,885,571	100

1981

The 1981 Bangladeshi presidential elections were held on 15 November 1981. The result was a victory for the incumbent acting President Abdus Sattar of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who received 65.5% of the vote, beating his principal challenger Kamal Hossain of the Awami League. Voter turnout was 54.3%.

Candidate	Party	Votes	%
Abdus Sattar	Bangladesh Nationalist Party	14,203,958	65.5
Kamal Hossain	Bangladesh Awami League	5,636,113	26.0
Maulana Mohammudullah	Independent	388,741	1.8
M. A. G. Osmani	Independent	293,637	1.4
M. A. Jalil	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal	248,769	1.1
Muzaffar Ahmed	NAP (M)-CPB	224,188	1.0
33 other candidates		682,154	3.2
Invalid/blank votes		332,524	–
Total		22,010,084	100

1986

The 1986 Bangladeshi presidential elections were held on 15 October 1986. The result was a victory for incumbent Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who had assumed the office in 1983 following a military coup. Ershad reportedly won 84.1% of the vote with a voter turnout of 54.9%. However the elections were controversial as they were boycotted by all major opposition candidates and there were reports of irregularities.

Candidate	Party	Votes	%
Hussain Muhammad Ershad	Jatiya Party	21,795,337	84.1
Mauluna Mohammadullah	Independent	1,510,456	5.8
Syed Faruque Rahman	Bangladesh Freedom Party	1,202,303	4.6
Nine other candidates		1,408,195	5.4
Invalid/blank votes		380,745	–
Total		26,297,337	100

Notes

↑ The voting figures of the Awami League does not include the votes for 14 candidates of allied parties who contested on the Awami League 'boat' symbol
↑ The voting figures of BNP includes all votes cast for candidates on the BNP 'sheaf of paddy' election symbol, including candidates belonging to allied parties
↑ WPB fielded three candidates on its 'hammer' election symbol, who received 1,729 votes, and five candidates on the Awami League 'boat' symbol, who received 644,335 votes.
↑ JASAD fielded nine candidates on its 'torch' election symbol, who received39,104 votes, and three candidates on the Awami League 'boat' symbol, who received 570940 votes.
↑ Bikalpdhara Bangladesh fielded 23 candidates on its 'winnowing fan' election symbol, who received 18,183 votes, and three candidates on the Awami League 'boat' symbol, who received 547,757 votes.
↑ Bangladesh Tarikat Federation fielded 16 candidates on its 'winnowing fan' election symbol, who received 6,087 votes, and two candidates on the Awami League 'boat' symbol, who received 423,868 votes.
↑ One Bangladesh JASAD candidate ran on the Awami League 'boat' symbol.

References

↑ Reserved parliamentary seats for women gets 25-year extension|Dhaka Tribune|8 July 2018
↑ Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-23
↑ Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-25
↑ Craig Baxter (1971) "Pakistan Votes – 1970 Asian Survey, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp197–218
↑ Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-27
↑ "The Rule of General Zia". Bangladesh Awami League. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
↑ Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-30
↑ Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-33
↑ Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-36
↑ Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page 40
↑ "Clashes and boycott mar Bangladesh election". BBC News. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
1 2 3 "Repolls ordered in 8 constituencies". bdnews24.com. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
↑ Barry, Ellen (5 January 2014). "Low Turnout in Bangladesh Elections Amid Boycott and Violence". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
↑ Barry, Ellen (6 January 2014). "Bangladesh ruling party wins after boycotted vote". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
↑ "Newly elected Bangladesh MPs sworn in". Al Jazeera English.
↑ Hasan, Rashidul (5 January 2019). "Never-ending drama in JP". The Daily Star.
↑ Mahmud, Faisal (9 January 2024). "Sheikh Hasina wins fifth term in Bangladesh amid turnout controversy". Al Jazeera.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[17] The voting figures of the Awami League does not include the votes for 14 candidates of allied parties who contested on the Awami League 'boat' symbol

[18] The voting figures of BNP includes all votes cast for candidates on the BNP 'sheaf of paddy' election symbol, including candidates belonging to allied parties

[19] WPB fielded three candidates on its 'hammer' election symbol, who received 1,729 votes, and five candidates on the Awami League 'boat' symbol, who received 644,335 votes.

[20] JASAD fielded nine candidates on its 'torch' election symbol, who received39,104 votes, and three candidates on the Awami League 'boat' symbol, who received 570940 votes.

[21] Bikalpdhara Bangladesh fielded 23 candidates on its 'winnowing fan' election symbol, who received 18,183 votes, and three candidates on the Awami League 'boat' symbol, who received 547,757 votes.

[22] Bangladesh Tarikat Federation fielded 16 candidates on its 'winnowing fan' election symbol, who received 6,087 votes, and two candidates on the Awami League 'boat' symbol, who received 423,868 votes.

[23] One Bangladesh JASAD candidate ran on the Awami League 'boat' symbol.

[1] Reserved parliamentary seats for women gets 25-year extension|Dhaka Tribune|8 July 2018

[2] Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-23

[3] Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-25

[B-4] Craig Baxter (1971) "Pakistan Votes – 1970 Asian Survey, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp197–218

[5] Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-27

[6] "The Rule of General Zia". Bangladesh Awami League. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2009.

[7] Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-30

[8] Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-33

[9] Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-36

[10] Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page 40

[autogenerated4-11] "Clashes and boycott mar Bangladesh election". BBC News. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.

[bdnews1-12] 1 2 3 "Repolls ordered in 8 constituencies". bdnews24.com. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.

[NYT-13] Barry, Ellen (5 January 2014). "Low Turnout in Bangladesh Elections Amid Boycott and Violence". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 May 2014.

[14] Barry, Ellen (6 January 2014). "Bangladesh ruling party wins after boycotted vote". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2014.

[15] "Newly elected Bangladesh MPs sworn in". Al Jazeera English.

[16] Hasan, Rashidul (5 January 2019). "Never-ending drama in JP". The Daily Star.

[24] Mahmud, Faisal (9 January 2024). "Sheikh Hasina wins fifth term in Bangladesh amid turnout controversy". Al Jazeera.

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