Counting begins as polls close in landmark Bangladesh election

Polls have formally closed in Bangladesh’s landmark election, which is seen as a direct contest between Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a coalition of 11 parties, led by the resurgent Jamaat-e-Islami party’s chief, Shafiqur Rahman. While opinion polls suggest Tarique Rahman is a frontrunner for the prime minister, the Jamaat-led alliance, which includes the National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by student leaders behind the 2024 uprising, could spring a surprise.