Historic parliamentary elections to be held in Bangladesh today

. Historic parliamentary elections are taking place in Bangladesh today following the restoration of democracy through the youth movement. The first general election in a country with a population of about 175 million is seen as decisive for political stability.

Voting began at 7:3 TAG_OPEN_p_7 0 am. The counting of votes will begin this evening and the preliminary results will be announced by midnight, the Election Commission said. The final results are expected by tomorrow morning, Reuters news agency reported.

More than TAG_OPEN_p_6 2,000 candidates are vying for 300 seats this time. Voting in one constituency attended by some 50 political parties has been postponed due to the death of a candidate. Of the 128 million registered voters, 49 per cent are women. However, only 83 of the candidates are women.

The main contest is expected to be between former allies Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a coalition led by Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami.TAG_OPEN_p_5 Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, however, is in a state of limbo.

The election will also have an impact on Bangladesh’s regional diplomacy. China’s influence is expected to increase, especially as relations with India are weakening. More than 1 lakh soldiers and nearly 200,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure peaceful conduct of the elections.