Bangladesh’s Bitter Election Boycott
As Bangladesh elects a new parliament on Sunday against a backdrop of increasing political violence, BBC Bengali editor Sabir Mustafa looks at why the main opposition party is boycotting the polls.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) says that it will not participate unless the vote is held under the auspices of a neutral government.
As a result, 153 of the 300 seats have already been “filled” because there is only one candidate. Polling will take place in the remaining 147 seats but in the absence of the main opposition parties, voters will have little real choice.