Bangladesh votes in election without opposition

Bangladesh began voting Sunday in an election guaranteed to give a 5th term in office to PM Sheikh Hasina, after a boycott led by an opposition party.

Hasina's party faces almost no effective rivals in the seats it is contesting but has avoided fielding candidates in a few seats, an apparent effort to avoid the legislature being branded a one-party institution.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, whose ranks have been decimated by mass arrests, is leading a weekend general strike urging the public not to participate in what it calls a “shame” election.

But Hasina, 76, urged the public to cast their ballots and show their faith in the democratic process.

“The BNP is a terrorist organisation,” she told waiting reporters after casting her vote at the Dhaka City College alongside her sister and daughter.

“I am trying my best to ensure that democracy should continue in this country,” she added.

Early signs suggested turnout would be low, despite widespread reports of carrot-and-stick inducements aimed at bolstering the poll’s legitimacy.

Scattered protests continued in the days ahead of the election, including a few hundred opposition supporters who marched through central Dhaka on Friday – a shadow of the hundreds of thousands seen at rallies last year.

The election commission said around 175,000 police officers and more than 515,000 members of the Ansar reserve force had been deployed to keep order during the vote.

Polls will stay open until 5:00 pm (1200 GMT) with results expected after midnight.