Polls open in Bangladesh elections, Security tightened

by Sanjay Jha | December 28, 2008 at 07:58 pm

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Bangladesh's long-awaited 9th parliamentary elections have begun on Monday after two years of delay. Polls across the country opened at 0800 (0200 GMT) and close at 1600 (1000 GMT).

Fifty-thousand troops have been deployed, as well as 75,000 police and 6,000 members of the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), along with other auxiliary forces for security.

In addition about 200,000 local and 2,000 foreign monitors will be at polling centres to check procedures.

The newly elected government has a massive task of improving the lives of millions in a country where some 45 per cent of the population live below the poverty line.

Counting of votes will begin immediately after although results are not expected until well into Tuesday at the earliest.

Long queues formed as Bangladeshis began to vote at the country's 35,000 heavily-guarded polling stations.

"Perhaps we have taken the toughest ever security precautions to ensure that balloting takes place peacefully, free from rigging, intimidation and threats," said Noor Mohammad, the Inspector General of Police.

Some 200,000 electoral observers, including 2,500 from abroad, are monitoring the vote.

The army cancelled elections due in January 2007 after months of street protests and battles between gangs of rival party supporters spiralled out of control.

An army-backed caretaker government then attempted to root out corruption from the country's elites.

Bangladesh has a parliamentary system of government headed by prime minister. The parliament comprises 345 members, of which 300 members will be chosen by the public. The other 45 seats are reserved for females, who will be chosen by the 300 parliament members.

The political party that wins the most seats in the parliamentary elections forms the new government, and the party leader usually becomes prime minister.

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