Bangladesh elections: The 'battling begums'

As the opposition leader urges voters to boycott the upcoming polls, we ask how further unrest will impact the country.


Bangladesh heads to the polls on Sunday, but opposition parties are boycotting the vote after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina refused to make way for a neutral caretaker government which could have overseen the elections.

Questions are now being raised about the credibility of the vote. Without opposition participation, the ruling Awami League is guaranteed to win more than half of the 300 seats available.

Supporters of the opposition have fought with security forces in Dhaka, and they continue to take to the streets, defying a police ban.