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Bangladesh Votes amid clashes; 11 lives lost in Poll-related violence
Bangladesh completed its polling after clashes between Awami League and opposition BNP broke out which left 11 dead and several injured, according to a source.
Dhaka: Bangladeshi voters turn-out in large numbers to cast their votes at polling booths amid heavy violence and clashes to elect next government in the country. The election results will be announced within 24 hours.
Bangladesh completed its polling after clashes between Awami League and opposition BNP broke out which left 11 dead and several injured, according to a source.
Voting which began at 0800 hours on Sunday morning came to an end at 1600 hours amid clashes and claims of manipulation.
Keeping the security in check High-speed mobile internet services have been suspended until midnight today, “to prevent the spread of rumours” that could trigger unrest during the elections.
The government has also banned the use of vehicles on Sunday in Dhaka, except by election observers and journalists.
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Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seems very positive of her victory to win a record fourth term in today's general elections.
This 11th general election (since Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971), has put 71-year-old Hasina against a united Opposition put together by former Foreign Minister Kamal Hossain.
However, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Hasina's archrival and the head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, is barred from contesting elections as he is serving a 10-year jail sentence on corruption charges.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is seeking to win a third consecutive term in office, and her fourth term as prime minister, seems “confident” and "Positive" of her winning. “I believe that people will cast their votes in favor of Awami League to continue the pace of development,” Hasina told reporters in Dhaka. She also added “The ‘boat’ will surely win.”
Hasina, who faces anti-incumbency after being in office since 2009, faces a stiff challenge from a united opposition fighting under the banner of Jatiya Oikya Front (JOF) led by jailed ex-premier Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jatiya Oikya Prokriya, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and Nagorik Oikya have come together against Hasina’s Awami League.
Around 104 million voters cast their votes in 40,000 polling centers at 0800 hours (Bangladesh time) today. The polling booths were closed at 1600 hours.
At least 21.5 million young voters between 18 and 28 years entered the electoral roll since 2008, making them a substantial demographic that could sway the outcome.
Electronic voting machines (EVMs) were being used at the national election for the first time in six constituencies.
Results for the constituencies where EVMs were put to use are likely to be released a few hours after the polls close. Results for the other constituencies are likely to trickle in over the course of Sunday night and Monday morning.
Thirty-nine political parties registered with the Election Commission contested in the ballot.
The Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina was seeking an unprecedented third successive term in power.
The 10th parliamentary election in 2014 was boycotted by the BNP, the largest opposition party, and several others.
The BNP joined in the race this time in a bid to snap Hasina's run, but is without party chief and three-time former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who has been in prison since February on corruption charges.
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The country has recently been in the international spotlight as hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled there from neighboring Myanmar, according to a report.
The government has been praised internationally for taking them in but faces sharp criticism for its human rights record in other areas.
The polls also come months after tens of thousands young people took to the streets in large numbers to protest about road deaths -- in a rare show of fury that the authorities and pro-government groups put down with force.
"All we want is corruption to be gone and driving licences to stop being handed out like candy," one 17-year-old told the BBC in August.
The lead-up to the election has been marked by violence and a crackdown on dissent by a government that critics say has only grown more authoritarian during its 10 years in power.
To make these general elections more transparent and secured many security majors were taken into account such as EVM machines were used and voters were directed to turn-off their mobile phones before entering polling booths.
