Representational file photo. Bangladeshi people read newspapers carrying headlines of the general election results in Dhaka on December 31, 2018. AFP / Indranil MUKHERJEE
Dhaka: The Bangladeshi interim government has announced public holidays on Feb. 11 and 12 nationwide to facilitate voting in the country's much-anticipated 13th general election and referendum.
Additionally, Feb. 10 has been designated a special holiday for workers and employees in industrial zones.
Bangladesh's Ministry of Public Administration said that the holidays aimed to ensure broad participation in the election and referendum process.
The country's election authorities had earlier said that more than 127 million voters had been registered for the election for the first time since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country in August 2024.
With nearly 2,000 candidates in the race, including 1,732 from 51 registered political parties, the election campaign has already moved into a phase of direct voter contact door-to-door canvassing, neighborhood walks, street rallies, and mass public meetings.
The candidates competing for the South Asian country's 300 parliamentary seats include 288 from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, 224 from the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, 32 from the National Citizen Party, 192 from the Jatiya Party and 249 independent candidates, according to the Election Commission.
This time, Bangladesh's general election is different from past ones because voters will not merely choose their representatives but also vote in a referendum on important constitutional reforms.
These changes are aimed at strengthening the country's democratic system and rebalancing powers within the government.
