The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday said that 32.88 per cent of voters had cast their ballots nationwide by 12 pm in the ongoing national election.
Senior Secretary of the EC Akhtar Ahmed disclosed the figure at noon from the EC Bhaban in Agargaon, Dhaka.
He said the turnout rate was calculated based on reports received from 32,789 polling centres out of a total of 42,651 across the country. According to the compiled data, nearly one-third of registered voters exercised their franchise within the first half of the voting period.
The EC secretary noted that participation in rural areas appeared to be slightly higher than in urban centres.
Describing the overall situation as orderly, Akhtar Ahmed expressed satisfaction with the voting environment.
He said no polling centre had been forced to suspend operations and that voting was continuing uninterrupted nationwide.
Although there were reports of minor and isolated disturbances at a few locations, he said swift action by law enforcement agencies prevented any escalation.
“There has been no incident serious enough to halt voting anywhere,” he added.
The EC secretary further assured that there was no major threat of sabotage and that voters were casting their ballots in a safe and secure environment.
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