Dhaka, Bangladesh – In a long queue at a public school in the capital Dhaka, former teacher Hasan Hoque chatted and laughed with a group of men who had just arrived to vote.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in this line, but nothing compares to the feeling of voting for yourself. It feels like a festival,” Hawke told Al Jazeera with a smile.

He last voted in 2008, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned to power and allegedly rigged subsequent elections until 2024, when her 15-year authoritarian regime was challenged by a student-led uprising that toppled her government and forced her into exile in India.

“The post-2008 elections under the Awami League were a farce and one-sided,” said Hoque, referring to Hasina’s party, which was barred from contesting elections after the uprising. “They would vote themselves, so we didn’t even need us at the voting centers those years.”

On Thursday, as Bangladesh held its first parliamentary elections The country of 173 million people has sought a return to democracy after years of unrest since a 2024 uprising.

As well as choosing a new parliament, people voted in a referendum to support the so-called July Charter, a document stemming from the 2024 uprising that proposed sweeping constitutional reforms to save the country from a future dictatorship.

“Eid-like atmosphere”

Like Hawke, Jainab Lutfun Naher is returning to the polls after 17 years.

“In 2008, I was pregnant with my daughter. Today I voted again and my daughter is now 17 years old,” the voter from Dhaka’s Gulshan district told Al Jazeera. “It feels absolutely great to vote.”

Naher said the day left her feeling excited, empowered and gave her hope. “I want this country to prosper,” she said. “I want it to be democratic and everyone has rights and freedoms.”

The people’s hopes rested on two alliances that were once at war. vote thursday – Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), leader Tariq Rahmanand an alliance of 11 political parties led by Jamaat-e-Islami, including the National Civic Party (NCP) founded by Jamaat-e-Islami youth activist Who overthrew Hasina.

Balloting was held in 299 of the 300 constituencies, with voting in one seat canceled due to the death of a candidate. The electoral commission announced that turnout was about 48% as of 2pm local time (08:00 GMT). Final voting results are awaiting counting.

Voting ends at 4.30pm (10:30GMT) on Thursday, official announcement The result is expected Friday morning.

Similar scenes were seen at polling stations in Dhaka, which has 20 parliamentary constituencies: long queues outside school gates and community centers turned into voting centres.

At one such school, first-time voter Nazmun Nahar said she was “so excited that I could barely sleep last night.”

“It feels like Eid,” she told Al Jazeera, referring to the Muslim religious holiday, echoing a sentiment shared by chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, who told reporters people voted in an “Eid-like atmosphere.”

Reports from elsewhere in the country suggested a similar festive atmosphere, with the government announcing a three-day election holiday and millions of voters traveling to their hometowns to cast their votes – many on the roofs of trains.

Abdur Rahman, a voter in northern Bangladesh who traveled on a train so crowded, said almost everyone he knew – from neighbors to extended family – had gone home to vote.

“For so long, we have been deprived of the joy of voting,” Rahman said. “None of us want to miss this opportunity.”

“Birthday of the new Bangladesh”

Frontrunner for the prime ministership, BNP chief Tariq Rehman, said after the polls at Gulshan Model High School and College in Dhaka that if he comes to power, he will “prioritize improving law and order in the country so that people feel safe”.

“I am confident of winning the election,” Tariq Rahman told reporters.

Muhammad YunusThe head of the interim government formed after the 2024 uprising voted in the same centre.

“Today is the birthday of the new Bangladesh,” he said. “Through today’s process, people have rejected the past. From today on, every step of the way, we are given the opportunity to build a new Bangladesh.”

Shafiqur RahmanJamaat-e-Islami leader cast his vote at another polling center in Dhaka.

“With this vote, we hope to form a government that does not belong to any individual, family or party, but to the (millions) people of this country,” he told reporters, calling the election a “turning point” for Bangladesh.

Analysts said the election process was largely peaceful, despite sporadic allegations of poll fraud.

Asif Mohammad Shahan, a professor of development studies at Dhaka University, told Al Jazeera that the election had seen no “reports of major irregularities”.

“There have been some isolated incidents, which are certainly unwelcome, but every election in Bangladesh has some irregularities. Unless these incidents are serious enough to change the overall outcome, they will not cross the critical threshold,” he said.

Political analyst Dilala Chowdhury said the relatively peaceful elections were the first step in Bangladesh’s long-term transition to democratic normalcy. “Minimizing violence in elections is a good thing,” she told Al Jazeera.

“If both sides accept the outcome, it will be the first step towards a new type of political or democratic transition in Bangladesh,” she added.

But Chaudhry warned that the elections “do not signal a full transition to democracy” and argued that the next phase would depend on whether the ruling party and opposition forces work together to pursue and institutionalize the reforms outlined in the July Charter – including commitments to accountability, the rule of law and good governance.

Meanwhile, Mazeda Begum, a voter at the Civil Aviation School and College polling center in Dhaka, said she hoped the new government – whoever it constitutes – would work towards the progress of the country, especially in education and the economy.

“There are a lot of problems with our education system and the education of our children,” she said. “We are also facing economic difficulties in our daily lives. I hope the new government can serve us.”

At another polling center in Dhaka’s Agargaon area, Nuru Amin came to the polling station with high expectations.

“It was years before I came to vote,” he told Al Jazeera. “This country needs to move forward and the next government should solve our problems.”