Shorifun, clad in a new saree, has already cast her vote and is now waiting outside the booth with her grandchild as her daughter takes her turn.

She said she felt almost like she was enjoying an Eid day. Eid is the biggest festival in Bangladesh.

Thanks to support from the UK and other countries, for the first time ever Bangladesh's voters had a coloured photo-identity, which election officials matched against a photographic voter list.

There were three tiers of candidates in the election - Mayors, General Councillors and Reserved Women Councillors - each marked by three differently coloured ballots.

The photographic voter identities and lists helped reduce the number of people illegally casting more than one vote.

Women voters enthusiastically seized this chance to participate in the democratic process. To ensure that women's needs are listened to in future elections, the BEC will provide more training and female-only polling booths.

This young woman is casting her vote for the first time. When asked, she said that she didn’t have to feel insecure or worry about the possibility of election violence this time – a sharp departure from previous elections in Bangladesh.

At 4 pm - closing time for polling centres up and down the country - there is still a long queue of women voters waiting to put their crosses on the ballot paper. However, in line with the law, people queuing at this time were allowed to vote.

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Shorifun, clad in a new saree, has already cast her vote and is now waiting outside the booth with her grandchild as her daughter takes her turn.

She said she felt almost like she was enjoying an Eid day. Eid is the biggest festival in Bangladesh.

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Voting in peace

The peacefulness of these elections was partly due to recent reforms to Bangladesh's Election Commission. These reforms, which were supported by DFID funding, included the introduction of the photographic voter roll shown in the photos above. By ensuring that one person had one vote, and that the person voting was the person on the register, the credibility of the elections was enhanced - reducing the likelihood of disputes and unrest.

To ensure that polling stations were operating fairly and efficiently, more than 80 expert observers were sent out into the field. Members of this "Electoral Working Group" were drawn from Bangladesh and other countries, and included staff from DFID and the British High Commission.

Irregularities were noted - largely due to lack of knowledge and training on the part of election officials, party agents and voters. However, with voter turnout so high (and representing a real cross-section of Bangladeshi society), and given the absence of corruption on the day, the elections were judged to be, on the whole, a success.

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A wave of women councillors

These elections have been notable for another reason: they have seen a wave of women elected to local councils. This has been achieved in part through a DFID-funded programme, Bangladesh Urban Partnerships for Poverty Reduction (UPPR).

UPPR, which has the aim of improving the lives of poor people (especially women and children) in Bangladesh's towns and cities, supported hopeful female candidates with training and other help.

Almataj Begum is a newly elected councillor in Barisal city corporation, a council ward in the southern district of Barisal. Almataj was forced to leave school at 13 because of poverty. However, for a long time she was keen to do more with her life.

Amongst the development projects funded by UPPR are local community development communities (CDCs). After becoming the chairperson of her local CDC, Almataj felt encouraged to take part in the election to become a city councillor.

"I was nervous at first," says Almataj about setting out on this new challenge, "but because of the assistance and support I had from the local community I eventually gained confidence.”

UPPR proved crucial in her path to a seat on the local council. "My affiliation with UPPR encouraged me to make the decision to stand as a councillor because as a CDC chairperson I developed many leadership skills," she says. "Because I’ve worked on many community development projects I have got to know the local community. I’ve become popular with them as a result and they encouraged me - and with their help I won the election!"

Almataj is eager to talk about the changes she wants to bring about in her new role. "I want to make people aware of the dangers of drugs, encourage girl’s education and women’s empowerment and hopefully introduce more legal aid services," she says. "I’d like to help poor people in the area increase their incomes through working with the city corporation, UPPR and other development agencies."

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Support and inspiration

In the neighbouring district of Khulna, Monira Akther was elected as a city councillor. She is single, has a BA degree, and lives with her parents, four brothers and two sisters. The family is poor but Monira makes some money as a private tutor.

Like Almataj, Monira Akther was inspired by CDC members to put herself forward. "I got a lot of support from them to help me win," she says. People from the community and some of her relatives also helped out, covering the costs of the election.

"I enjoyed the election process," says Monira. She adds that she was "impressed" by the district government's commitment to holding a fair poll.

Now that her seat is secure, Monira is keen to start addressing the issues that are close to her heart. She reels off a full list: "Improving the drainage system, installing deep tube wells, constructing roads and footpaths, creating better job opportunities for women, an old age pension for women, and reducing violence against women!" Monira and Almataj are just two of the women who, thanks to UPPR, are now in a position to make a difference to the lives of poor people in their own communities.

DFID has provided £60 million to UPPR. The government of Bangladesh has contributed £2.5 million and United Nations Development Programme £5 million. DFID's money will be spent over seven years (2007 -2014). Around 3 million poor Bangladeshis are expected to benefit from the programme.

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Going nationwide

The UK is continuing to support Bangladesh's efforts to overhaul its elections. When DFID Minister Shahid Malik visited Bangladesh in June he called for a return to democracy, urging all political sides "to participate to achieve a smooth transition to a democratically elected government." After all, he said, "lasting democracy is the ultimate goal."

The lessons learnt on 4 August will inform the Election Commission's strategy for the national elections due in December.

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Facts and stats

• The UK has provided £10 million to the £40 million photographic electoral register, which is managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• The first drafts of the new voter lists contain the names of 80 million people (Bangladesh's population is about 140 million).
• To encourage greater public debate around the elections, and to encourage politicians to be more accountable to the people, DFID has provided £2.8 million to BBC Sanglap, a TV and radio debate show. A platform for members of the public to seek answers from decision makers, the programme has a weekly audience of over 7 million.
• DFID is also helping to increase cooperation between Bangladesh's political parties and the current caretaker Government by contributing £2.1 million to the National Election Programme. This is designed to minimise the scope for electoral fraud and reduce the risk of parties boycotting elections.

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Links

• Bangladesh pictures a better voting process
• Country profile: Bangladesh
• How we fight poverty: Good government