Polls opened on Sunday in Bangladesh for a parliamentary election with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina nearly guaranteed a fourth consecutive term in office, in a vote that has been marred by a widespread crackdown on the opposition. Security remained tight and the mood tense across the country of 170 million people as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the main opposition, which has boycotted the election as unfair, pushed for a nationwide strike. A fire on a train in the capital, Dhaka, late Thursday, which the police are investigating as arson, killed four people. At least 16 polling stations were set aflame on the eve of the vote, the country’s fire department said. Ms. Hasina, 76, who cast her vote in Dhaka soon after polls opened at 8 a.m. local time, urged people to come out in large numbers.

Source: bd News24 January 07, 2024 15:58 UTC