Bangladesh toughened security Saturday for an election expected to see Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina win a record fourth term but dominated by opposition claims that they have been shackled by a government clampdown.
Bangladesh toughened security Saturday for an election expected to see Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina win a record fourth term but dominated by opposition claims that they have been shackled by a government clampdown.
Authorities have deployed around 600,000 police, army and other security forces ahead of Sunday’s vote, a senior official said, following a deadly campaign of clashes and the arrests of opposition activists.
The forces — which also include the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), navy, border and coast guards and auxiliary police units — will guard some 40,000 election booths across the poor South Asian nation.
„We have ensured the highest level of security in Bangladesh as per the capacity of the country,“ Rafiqul Islam of the election commission told AFP.
„We hope there will be a peaceful atmosphere,“ he said.
A heavy police presence was evident on the streets of the capital Dhaka less than 24 hours ahead of the polls opening at 8:00 am (0200 GMT) on Sunday.
Clashes have gripped the Muslim majority country of 165 million in the run-up to the vote, in which the ruling Awami League and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are leading their own alliances.
– Deaths –
Thirteen people have been killed and thousands injured in skirmishes between supporters of Hasina and activists of the BNP, whose leader Khaleda Zia is serving 17 years in prison on graft charges.
