General

Bangladesh begins parliamentary polls

b5fffa040146672d65bad2e390ef88f5_LVoting has begun for Bangladesh’s new parliament, with candidates from the ruling party and its allies almost certain to win the election, amid widespread violence and a boycott by the main opposition party.

According to Press TV, the election started at 8:00 a.m. local time (1400GMT) on Sunday.
The main opposition Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and its allies have urged voters to stay away from polling stations – a move that undermines the legitimacy of the election.
Due to the boycott the ruling Awami League is expected to sweep the polls, though local television stations showed mostly empty polling stations.
Polling centers have opened for only 147 constituencies as 153 seats have already been filled because there was only one candidate.
BNP leader Khaleda Zia, who is under house arrest, says she will not participate in the election unless it is held under a neutral caretaker government.
Many of the opposition party’s leaders are also in prison or in hiding.
This year’s election has started amid a backdrop of increasing political violence with over 100 people killed in the run-up to the election, mostly in rural districts, raising fears of violence at polling stations.
On Saturday, more than 127 school buildings across the country – used as polling stations – were torched and ballot papers were burned or snatched.
More than 270 people were killed in Bangladesh in 2013 over political tensions.

Back to top button