AMM Nasir Uddin, Bangladesh’s chief election commissioner, cast his ballot this morning and described the 2026 general election as unmatched globally, expressing confidence that the country’s “democracy train” would reach its destination.

Nasir Uddin voted at 9:30 am at Eskaton Garden High School in Dhaka-8. Speaking to reporters afterwards, he likened voters travelling by train, bus and launch to their home districts to cast ballots to the Eid holiday.

“I spoke with people in my own village and elsewhere — they are voting with the spirit of Eid,” he said. “A celebratory mood has been created. Everyone will be able to vote. This joy is moving them.”

The CEC noted that foreign observers he spoke with the previous day were satisfied with preparations.

Nasir Uddin, who took office in November 2024, said he and colleagues had spent sleepless nights preparing to deliver a “fair, beautiful and credible” ballot.

He praised the media, describing journalists as a “third eye” essential for monitoring polling beyond the commission’s reach. “Sitting at home, I can’t see everything. We want to see through your eyes. I have no mechanism to reach every village. I will reach them through you,” he added.

The chief election commissioner also called on the country to move past its history of polling station seizures and ballot-box thefts. “The history of centre-capture, the history of ballot-box theft — we must forget these,” he said.