The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is poised for a major return to power, securing a massive lead in the preliminary results of the 13th National Parliamentary Elections. Out of the 297 seats where results have been declared, the BNP has won 209 seats, while its closest competitor, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, secured 68 seats.
The announcement was made by the Senior Secretary of the Election Commission (EC), Akhhtar Ahmed, during a press conference held at 3:00 PM today (Friday).
Election and Referendum Breakdown
In a unique turn for this election cycle, voters also participated in a national referendum alongside the parliamentary polls. The Election Commission reported a notable difference in turnout between the two, primarily due to legal stay orders on specific parliamentary seats.
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Parliamentary Election Turnout: 59.44%
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Referendum Turnout: 60.26%
The Secretary explained that while the results for two seats in Chattogram remain suspended following a court order, the referendum votes from those areas were still counted. This accounts for the higher percentage in the referendum figures.
Referendum Results:
The referendum, which sought public opinion on significant constitutional amendments and reforms, saw a decisive victory for the “Yes” vote:
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“Yes” Votes: 48,074,429
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“No” Votes: 22,565,627
“The public has given a clear mandate in favor of the proposed corrections and changes,” Secretary Ahmed stated.
Party-wise Seat Distribution (297 Seats)
The preliminary results show a fragmented but clear victory for the BNP-led side of the political spectrum, with several smaller parties and independents also securing representation.
| Party Name | Seats Won |
| Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) | 209 |
| Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami | 68 |
| National Citizen Party | 6 |
| Independent Candidates | 7 |
| Khelafat Majlish | 2 |
| Islami Andolon Bangladesh | 1 |
| Gono Odhikar Parishad | 1 |
| Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) | 1 |
| Gono Sanghati Andolan | 1 |
Official Procedures and Gazette Publication
Despite the clear lead, the Election Commission emphasized that the official gazette will not be issued until the hard copies of the final results are received from the Returning Officers.
“It is not within our responsibility to rush these announcements,” Secretary Ahmed said, responding to journalist queries. “Once the final sheets are matched with the message sheets, a digital order for the gazette will be issued immediately—whether it takes one hour or two.”
The Secretary also clarified that the suspension of results in the two Chattogram constituencies was based strictly on judicial directives and not on any informal correspondence or “letters.”
The 13th National Parliamentary Elections were held yesterday, Thursday, with polling taking place from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM across 299 constituencies.
