Violence has been reported in Bangladesh as 120 million people are set to vote in a general election that has a foregone conclusion.
There have been a total of 18 arson attacks, including 10 on polling booths in the last 48 hours, authorities said.
On Friday, four people including one child were killed when a passenger train heading towards the capital, Dhaka, was set on fire.
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Four dead after fire on Bangladesh train
A total of 120 million people are eligible to vote in Sunday’s election – which will grant Sheikh Hasina a fifth term in office, her fourth consecutive one.
The 76-year-old will then be the longest-serving head of state in Bangladesh‘s history.
The main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Khaleda Zia, has boycotted the election after demanding Ms Hasina steps down to make way for a caretaker government that could organise a fair vote.
Their call was met with a severe government crackdown, which saw at least 11 BNP members killed and tens of thousands arrested by security forces during protests last year.
Bangladesh’s national parliament, the Jatiya Sangsad, has 350 MPs, of which 300 will be elected in Sunday’s vote.
The remaining 50 seats are reserved for women selected by the ruling party or coalition government.
The election result will be declared on Monday, though nobody is in doubt about who the winner will be.
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