General elections have started in Bangladesh. This was reported by TASS.
Approximately 120 million people can participate in the elections. There are 42 thousand ballot boxes in total. While 1,971 candidates competed for 350 seats in the parliament, the country’s largest opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), decided to boycott the elections. Instead, the opposition is represented by the Bangladesh National Party (Jatiya Party). According to experts, the ruling Awami League party is likely to win again.
The voting is being held under increased security measures. BNP declared a general strike and arson occurred in 14 polling stations.
On the eve of elections in the country started Rallies and protests by textile industry workers demanding that their wages be raised slightly below the national average (over $200 per month). At the same time, the authorities announced that they were ready to increase this figure by only 50%, that is, to $116, which was met with discontent from the protesters. Due to violent protests, 150 to 300 of the country’s 4,500 garment factories were closed, affecting the global textile market.
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