Bangladesh election makes headlines in global media

International media outlets have given extensive coverage to the 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum in Bangladesh. Prominent news organisations including The Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera and The Hindu featured it as lead news throughout the day, with most broadcasting live blogs during polling on Thursday.

**Reuters** headlined, 'Long queues of voters in first election after Sheikh Hasina's ouster'. Describing the vote as 'landmark', the report contextualised that the election comes after a political crisis. Long-standing discontent over controversial job quotas erupted into student-led protests in 2024, with hundreds killed and thousands injured in clashes with security forces. As unrest intensified and the army refused to suppress protests, Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India. The report noted the election is Gen Z-inspired, with young voters prioritising jobs, anti-corruption and political accountability.

**The New York Times** reported that more than 120 million people in Bangladesh voted on Thursday to elect new leaders, describing it as a pivotal moment. "Many Bangladeshis see this as an opportunity to build an inclusive democracy with safeguards against the authoritarian rule and widespread corruption that fuelled protest movements," it said.

The **BBC** live blog stated that Bangladesh is holding its first election since the end of Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule, ousted by student-led protests in 2024. Some 1,400 protesters were killed during the uprising. Hasina faces allegations of ordering the crackdown, which she denies. Her party, the Awami League, has been barred from contesting.

**The Guardian** ran the headline, 'Tarique Rahman promises era of clean politics in Bangladesh's first election since fall of Hasina'. It reported, "Tarique Rahman, once exiled in London, has returned as the frontrunner to become Bangladesh's next prime minister. After 17 years in exile, as voting began in what is expected to be the first free and fair election in nearly two decades, he pledged to end corruption and take the country on a 'new path'."

**Al Jazeera's** live blog noted that the vote would not only decide the next government and leader but also determine a series of reforms through a referendum. It provided continuous coverage of the overall situation, identifying BNP's Tarique Rahman and Jamaat-e-Islami's Dr Shafiqur Rahman as the main contenders.

**Deutsche Welle** described the election as a critical test for democracy, raising questions of transparency, participation and credibility.

**France 24** viewed the vote as a milestone in democratic reform.

**TRT World** characterised the election as a significant beginning in a new political reality after the end of long-term autocratic rule.