The leading opposition party in Bangladesh began a two-day general strike at dawn on Saturday in protest at the circumstances of Sunday’s election. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, says it is boycotting the election and considering trying to disrupt the election process.
Zia is currently under house arrest.
Incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is seeking re-election for a fourth term in the country of 169 million people. The election campaign has been marred by violence and attacks on election meetings. About 20 attacks had been reported in the past 24 hours on Saturday, 10 of them targeting polling stations.
Late on Friday, a train was attacked in the capital Dhaka, among other things. Wagons were set on fire and four people died in the blaze. Several people have been arrested for the crime, and according to authorities, the suspected perpetrators belong to the BNP party.
In turn, a representative of the opposition, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, said on Saturday night that about 1,000 people belonging to the party or who are critical of the regime are being held by the authorities.