At Stake in this Election: 

• Voters in Bangladesh are voting on the following question: 

• • “Do you support the reform proposals mentioned for the July National Parliament (Constitutional Reform) Ordinance, 2025 and the National Parliament Election Constitutional Reform–related referendum?” (Yes / No) 

• Elections for Parliament are occurring simultaneously.  

Government Structure: 

• Chief of State: President Mohammad SHAHABUDDIN (since 24 April 2023) 

• Head of Government: Chief Adviser of the interim Government Muhammad YUNUS (since 8 August 2024) 

• Assembly: unicameral, 350-seat House of the Nation (Jatiyo Shangsad).  

Electoral System:   

• The President is indirectly elected via the National Parliament. The President serves a 5-year term, renewable once.  

• The Prime Minister is generally the leader of the majority party and is appointed by the President. The Prime Minister is generally the leader of the majority party and is appointed by the President. The former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, was ousted in in 2024.   

• 300 members of parliament are directly elected from territorial constituencies. The remaining 50 seats are reserved for women who are indirectly elected via the other members of parliament. All members serve 5-year terms. 

Last Election: 

The last referendum was held on September 15, 1991. Voters approved a constitutional amendment to transition to a parliamentary system with 83% of the vote. Voter turnout was 35%.  

Information for Voters: 

গণভোট কি? / What is a referenda? (in Bangla) 

New/Unique in this Election: 

This is the first election held since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024 and the first referendum held since 1991.  

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: n/a 

• Voter registration deadline: 10 November 2025 

Country Context: 

• Population: 173,562,364 (2024 estimate) 

• Registered Voters: 128,295,700 (2025) 

• V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index Score: 0.201 (2024) 

• V-Dem Regimes of the World Classification: Electoral Autocracy (2024) 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.685, Medium, Rank 130 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 88,218,708 (2024 estimate) 

• CEDAW Status: Ascended 6 Nov 1984 

• Gender Quota: Yes, 14% of seats reserved for women.  

• Female Candidates in this election: n/a 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): n/a, parliament currently suspended. 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 49.3 (2023 estimate) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 9 May 2007, Ratified 30 Nov 2007 

• Projected population with a disability: 27,769,978 (2024 estimate) 

IFES Resources: 

• ElectionJudgments: Yes, 2 judgments.