Bangladesh's 10th general election ends in chaos
Bangladesh's national poll closed on January 5 amid rioting and deadly clashes. With the all but uncontested sweeping win by the ruling party, violence has spilled into a new day.
Sweeping victory
The ruling Awami League (AL) has mopped up over two-thirds of votes in Bangladesh's 10th national election, winning 232 of the 300 elected seats in parliament. The results were a foregone conclusion, as the poll was boycotted by the opposition. Due to a lack of contesting candidates in some constituencies there was no vote at all.
Dangerous election
Opposition supporters tried to the very last to halt the vote, burning down polling stations and clashing with police. At least 18 people were killed in the violence.
Poor turnout
Due to the boycott by twenty-four opposition parties and the violence on the streets, voters turned out in small numbers amid heavy security. Election officials told media on Monday the voter turnout was only 22 percent, as compared to 87 percent in the last national election in 2008.
Apex of violence
After months of protests and clashes, violence peaked on election day. Here, supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) beat a supporter of the ruling party Awami League (AL) at Baghmara in Rajshahi.
'Flawed' election
The poll was described as flawed by the international community. Hundreds of people were injured on Sunday. Here, villagers tend to a man after he was injured during a clash with police in Gaibandha.
Election on fire
Protestors firebombed polling stations and attacked police as the country went ahead with a violence-plagued election. Between Saturday and Sunday, over 200 polling stations were attacked. Here, election material goes up in flames after an attack on a polling station in the northern town of Bogra.
Observing his right
Despite the violence, this 89-year-old voter Abdul Hakim receives help to get to a polling station in Dhaka.
Some ballots get through
Here, a Bangladeshi woman casts her vote in Dhaka. She is not afraid, despite the fact that hundreds of people have died since major protests broke out in October last year over the non-implementation of a caretaker government to oversee polls.
High alert
A day after the election, clashes carried on, with three people getting killed in Dohar, outside the capital. The polls have been described as the deadliest in the nation's history.