Monday, December 29, 2008

Bangladesh Holds Elections Amid Tight Security

Bangladeshi security officials carry transparent ballot boxes in Dhaka ahead
of the parliamentary elections Photo: EPA


From the Daily Telegraph:

Tens of millions of Bangladeshis have started making their way to the polls for an election that will return the country to democracy after two years of emergency rule.

About 50,000 soldiers and 75,000 police have been deployed to guard against election fraud and violence in the first national vote since 2001.

The two leading candidates are fierce rivals who were both in jail on corruption charges before being released to contest the elections.

Sheikh Hasina Wajed of the Awami League and Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) both wooed voters with last-minute promises of lower food prices, action against Islamic militancy and curbs on corruption.

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