The election in Bangladesh

Bangladesh may be on the way to one-party rule: "Does Biden have a dialogue with Trump?" 

 

According to critics, this weekend's elections in Bangladesh risk paving the way for a one-party government, reports the Financial Times. Incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set her sights on a fifth term, the fourth in a row.  

 

Hasina was first elected in 2008 and has been praised for giving Bangladesh an economic boost. Recently, however, the setbacks for democracy are noticeable, writes The Guardian.  

 

She and her party, the Awami League, have been accused of harassing the opposition. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party says 20,000 supporters have been arrested in recent months and the party is boycotting the election.  

 

The international community has tried to step in and convince Hasina of the importance of open and free elections, but the prime minister has hit back, accusing the US of hypocrisy.  

 

- Does Biden have a dialogue with Trump? On that day, I will also talk to the opposition, she has said, among other things.

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First-time voters fed up with 'violence and chaos'  

 

Young voters in Bangladesh dream of a future free from political chaos, writes AP ahead of this weekend's elections. A survey last autumn showed that 69 percent of the country's young people in the 18-35 age group see corruption and nepotism as the biggest obstacles to Bangladesh's development.  

 

The news agency has visited a technology center in the capital Dhaka and met young female students.  

 

- We do not want violence and chaos on the streets. It's our generation's call to the politicians, says 20-year-old Raul Tamjid Rahman, who studies computer science and is allowed to vote for the first time.  

 

The ruling Awami League with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to win the election. The main opposition party is boycotting the election and many of its leaders have been imprisoned.