Bangladesh has begun voting in an election expected to give Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a fifth term, despite a boycott spearheaded by an opposition group she has labeled a terrorist organization.
The polls will be open from 8 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Sunday to 4 p.m. (1000 GMT). Hasina has presided over unprecedented economic progress in a country that was once impoverished, but her government has been accused of massive human rights violations and a merciless opposition crackdown.
Her party has almost no effective opponents in the seats it is contesting but has avoided fielding candidates in a few others, presumably to avoid the legislature being labeled a one-party institution.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, whose ranks have been devastated by mass arrests, is calling for a weekend nationwide strike to protest what it terms a sham election. However, Hasina, 76, asked the population to vote and demonstrate their faith in the democratic process.
“The BNP is a terrorist organization. I am trying my best to ensure that democracy should continue in this country,” she told reporters after casting her vote at the Dhaka City College alongside her sister and daughter.
Despite numerous claims of carrot-and-stick inducements aimed at boosting the poll’s validity, early indications predicted minimal turnout.
Some voters reported they had been threatened with the removal of government benefit cards, which are required to obtain welfare payments if they did not vote for the ruling Awami League.
Last year, the BNP and other parties protested for months, demanding that Hasina resign before the election.
According to the party, the ensuing crackdown resulted in the arrest of about 25,000 opposition cadres, including the entire local leadership of the BNP. According to the administration, the figure is 11,000 people.
