Malaysia's PM Hails Bangladesh Election as Democratic Triumph After Challenges

In a post on his verified X account on Friday, Anwar described the result as a significant achievement for democratic principles.

"I warmly congratulate Mr Tarique Rahman and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party on their emphatic election victory. This is a triumph of democracy: the Bangladeshi people, having navigated a period of extraordinary challenges, have spoken clearly at the ballot box."

He also expressed appreciation for the Chief Adviser of the country's interim government, Muhammad Yunus's role in facilitating the electoral transition.

"I also wish to express appreciation to my dear friend, Dr Muhammad Yunus, for his stewardship as Chief Adviser during this important transition and for ensuring that the democratic process proceeded smoothly."

Anwar further emphasised Malaysia's interest in strengthening ties with Bangladesh's incoming leadership.

"Malaysia looks forward to working with the new Bangladeshi leadership to bring new energy to our bilateral ties. I join Malaysians in extending our warmest regards to the people of Bangladesh."

The message comes amid a wave of international acknowledgements following the BNP-led alliance's landslide success in Thursday's polls, alongside the official declaration of results for 297 parliamentary constituencies by Bangladesh's Election Commission (EC).

Results for Chattogram-2 and Chattogram-4 remain suspended and will be announced later, while the outcome of one other constituency was deferred earlier, as reported by Prothom Alo.

The EC issued separate suspension letters for Sherpur-2, Chattogram-2, and Chattogram-4 on February 12 due to pending court cases.

The result for Sherpur-2 has since been declared, though its official gazette publication is currently on hold.

The elections, held on Thursday alongside a concurrent referendum, recorded a voter turnout of 60.26 per cent for the referendum component.

Across the 297 declared seats, a total of 48,074,429 'Yes' votes were cast in the referendum, compared to 22,565,627 'No' votes.

These figures were shared by EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed during a media briefing at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Friday.

In the parliamentary results for these 297 seats, the BNP and its allies secured a decisive 212 seats, marking a landslide victory.

The 11-party alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami won 77 seats.

Islami Andolan Bangladesh took one seat, while independent candidates claimed seven.

A further breakdown shows the BNP winning 209 seats independently.

Jamaat-e-Islami secured 68 seats; NCP, six; Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, two; Khelafat Majlis, one; Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), one; Ganosamhati Andolon, one; and Gono Odhikar Parishad, one, as per Prothom Alo.

The overwhelming 'Yes' victory in the referendum, conducted to endorse the constitutional proposals outlined in the July National Charter, provides strong public backing for implementing the proposed state reforms.

Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed reiterated these voting figures in his briefing to journalists at the Election Building in Agargaon today, according to Prothom Alo.

- ANI