Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal said the approximate voter turnout in the third phase of elections in 87 upazila parishads is 35 percent.

He made the remarks while talking to journalists at the Election Commission office in Dhaka after the voting ended.

The voting took place from 8 :00am to 4:00pm.

The CEC said there were 1,152 candidates in the elections. The voting in 16 upazilas was conducted using electronic voting machines (EVMs) and ballot papers were used in the remaining ones.

Kazi Habibul Awal said the elections were conducted in a free and fair manner, with very limited instances of untoward incidents.

He also said 30 people were detained for attempting to rig the vote, with two individuals being given jail sentences. Six people were injured in clashes, one presiding officer died from illness, and one assistant presiding officer was arrested for illegally stamping ballots, he added.

The EC is conducting the upazila elections in four phases this time. The first phase elections were held on May 8 in 139 upazilas and the second phase was held on May 21 in 156 upazilas. The next phases of the elections in 57 upazilas will be held on June 5 and in 20 postponed upazilas on June 9, he added.