Nation Votes Tomorrow in 13th Poll, Referendum

Voting in the 13th general election and the 2026 referendum will be held tomorrow across the country, with polling scheduled from 7:30am to 4:30pm without a break.

Balloting will take place in 299 of the 300 parliamentary constituencies after the Election Commission cancelled voting in Sherpur-3 following the death of a candidate.

The Commission said all preparations have been completed and extensive security measures put in place to ensure a free, fair and peaceful poll. Nearly 958,000 members of law enforcement agencies have been deployed nationwide, including more than 103,000 army personnel, alongside members of the navy, air force, police, RAB, BGB, Coast Guard and Ansar. Drones, UAVs and body-worn cameras are being used for the first time to strengthen monitoring.

More than 2,000 executive and judicial magistrates will remain on duty before, during and after polling day to address any violations of electoral laws. Since the announcement of the schedule, additional magistrates have been appointed to enforce the code of conduct and maintain order.

A total of 42,779 polling centres with 247,482 polling rooms have been prepared. Around 800,000 election officials will conduct the vote, including returning officers, presiding officers and polling officers. About 15,000 officials will oversee postal ballots.

According to the Election Commission, 127,711,893 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in 299 constituencies. Of them, 64,825,361 are men, 62,885,200 women and 1,232 third gender voters.

Fifty political parties are participating in the election, with 2,028 candidates in the race. Among them, 1,755 are nominated by parties and 273 are independents. There are 83 female candidates. BNP has fielded the highest number of candidates among the parties.

The Commission expressed hope that voter turnout would be around 55 per cent, though the final figure may vary. Officials said the law and order situation remains normal and urged citizens, especially young voters, to turn out and exercise their democratic rights.

A total of 55,454 local observers from 81 organisations will monitor the polls. In addition, 394 international observers and 197 foreign journalists have arrived to observe the election and referendum. Representatives from international and regional organisations, as well as observers from 21 countries, are present.

More than 1.5 million overseas and domestic voters have registered to vote through the Postal Vote BD mobile app.

Voting will be conducted using ballot papers and transparent ballot boxes. Voters present within polling centre premises after 4:30pm will be allowed to cast their ballots in accordance with the law.