Bangladesh to vote in national elections today amid security concerns

Nearly 170 million people in Bangladesh will vote to elect 299 lawmakers during the 12th national election on Sunday amid a boycott by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia after PM Sheikh Hasina denied its demand to resign and let a caretaker government run the election Al Jazeera reportedMore than 42000 polling stations are set for Sundays elections where a total of 1196 million registered voters are eligible to cast their votes as reported by the countrys Election CommissionWomen make up almost half of the nearly 120 million eligible voters while firsttime voters number about 15 millionAl Jazeera reported that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to win a fourth straight term in the absence of the main Opposition BNP which on Saturday began a 48hour nationwide strike against the illegal government amidst violence and a crackdown on protesters Al Jazeera reportedThe Supreme Court on December 27 provided clearance for the Election Commission EC to proceed with the general electionsHighlighting the security concerns the Directorate General of Health Services DGHS has instructed private hospitals and clinics across Bangladesh to keep health services operational and to remain prepared to handle emergencies from Saturday to Wednesday as reported by the Dhaka TribuneThe directive was issued in a letter signed by DGHS Deputy Director Abu Hussain Md Moinul AhsanThis letter was sent to the president secretary of the Bangladesh Private Clinic Hospital and Diagnostic Center Owners Association and the president of the Bangladesh Private Medical College Owners Association among other relevant partiesAs per the letter private clinics hospitals and medical college hospitals must remain fully prepared to handle any emergencies during and after the election until January 10 according to Dhaka TribuneBangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has promised to maintain cooperation and friendly relations with India if she is reelected in the parliamentary polls next monthThe reaffirmation came as she unveiled the manifesto of the ruling Awami League party in December for the upcoming general electionsHasina underlined that if her party secures victory Bangladesh will persist in its development collaboration with all nations highlighting its commitment to fostering positive diplomatic ties and cooperationSpecifically mentioning IndiaBangladesh ties the manifesto states The longstanding problem of demarcation of land boundaries and exchange of enclaves with India has been resolved This achievement has encouraged continued multilateral cooperation and friendly relations with IndiaMoreover earlier on Friday three members of the Election Commission of India ECI arrived in Dhaka ahead of Bangladeshs 12th general elections They will actively participate as part of the international election observer team contributing to the monitoring processThe Election Commission has made thorough arrangements for the upcoming 12th national parliamentary election on January 7 to ensure a peaceful processAs many as 127 foreign observers will track the election process to assess the election fairnessInternational election expert teams from the European Union are present in Dhaka with foreign observers from various countries including a Commonwealth team set to monitor the electionsDespite the preparations the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has decided to boycott the polls To prevent voting the BNP has started a 48hour strike starting commencing on Saturday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas illegal government the Dhaka Tribune reportedUnder the leadership of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia the BNP has decided to boycott the general election scheduled for Sunday The party is advocating for the formation of an interim nonparty neutral government to oversee the election a demand that has been rebuffed by the government led by Prime Minister HasinaThe BNP will carry out processions mass campaigns and distribute leaflets against the polls across the country as reported by the Dhaka TribuneMoreover the second day of the hartal coincides with the election which has already gathered global attentionAdding to the already existing hurdles the Bangladesh Election Commissions election application Smart Election Management BD crashed on the eve of the general electionsThe Tk21 crore app launched by the Election Commission for voters to find electionrelated details including polling centre locations stopped working a day before the polling dateFurthermore at least 14 polling centres and two schools in 10 districts of Bangladesh were set on fire between Friday evening and early Saturday hours before general elections as reported by the Dhaka TribuneHowever the general elections in Bangladesh will witness participation from approximately 30 countries and 180 overseas observers signifying international interest and observation in the electoral processThis story 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