Voting begins in Bangladesh general election
Dhaka, Dec 30 : Voting began in Bangladesh on Sunday amid tight security following a weeks-long campaign that was marred by violence and allegations of a government crackdown on opposition activists.
Tens of thousands of people, including women, stood in long queues outside the polling booths as the voting started at 8 am (local time).
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was the first voter at the Dhaka City College centre in the capital where her lawyer nephew and party candidate Fazle Nur Taposh was a contender.
"People will cast their vote for Awami League to ensure the win of pro-Liberation forces," Hasina said.
While Hasina is seeking re-election for a fourth term as the prime minister, her rival ex-premier Khalida Zia, who is reportedly partially paralysed, faces an uncertain future in a Dhaka jail.
Over 600,000 security personnel including several thousand soldiers and paramilitary border guards have been deployed across the country to help conduct the election in which 10.41 crore people are eligible to vote.
Security agencies have been asked to keep an extra vigil on religious minority communities as media reports said at least three Hindu households were set on fire by miscreants between December 16 and 26.
Bangladesh's telecoms regulator also ordered the country's mobile operators to shut down 3G and 4G services until midnight on Sunday "to prevent the spread of rumours" that could trigger unrest during the election, the 11th since Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971.
According to the Election Commission, 1,848 candidates are contesting for 299 out of 300 Parliament seats. The polls are being held at 40,183 polling stations.
Thirteen people have been killed and thousands injured in clashes between supporters of Hasina's ruling Awami League and activists of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of Zia in pre-poll violence.
Hasina, who is seeking to return to power for a third consecutive time, on Saturday expressed fears that the opposition could boycott polls in the middle of voting as part of a "political trick" to evade a "humiliating defeat".
"I want to caution all about the character of (main opposition) BNP...they may say in the middle (of the elections) that we are boycotting the polls," she said.
"In that case (opposition boycott) I will ask our candidates and other contenders to continue polls until the voting is ended," 71-year-old Hasina said.
Her comments came as the BNP is contesting the polls in a state of disarray in the absence of 73-year-old Zia and her fugitive son Tarique Rahman who is the acting party chief.
Zia, serving a 10-year prison term on graft charges, has been barred from contesting the polls while Rahman is living in London ostensibly to evade the law as a court has sentenced him to life imprisonment for masterminding a grenade attack on a rally in 2004 that killed 24 Awami League leaders and activists.
The BNP has stayed out of parliament since 2014 when it boycotted the last election over its demands for a poll-time non-party government.
It has returned to parliamentary politics as part of a new alliance - National Unity Front (NUF) - that was cobbled together three months ago with eminent lawyer Kamal Hossain as its convener.
Reacting to Hasina's remarks, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said "There is no dispute in our party about taking part in the polls".
"But what we see, there is no festive mood anywhere and rather a sense of fright is prevailing across the country due to government intimidation," he said.
The Election Commission last week also allowed hardline Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, a crucial ally of BNP, to contest the election, two months after it scrapped the fundamentalist party's registration.
BNP earlier accused the election commission of being biased during the poll campaign, a charge rejected by Chief Election Commissioner Nurul Huda.
Huda acknowledged a media report about arrests of some polling agents of BNP candidates and called such action "unwanted".
"Unless someone is wanted under certain case, police must not arrest anyone...maintain utmost neutrality in discharging your duties," he said.
"No member of law enforcement will arrest or harass polling agents of any candidate unless there are specific allegations against them," he said in a directive which he issued in a pre-poll press conference in Dhaka.
The opposition parties have alleged that thousands of their leaders and activists have been arrested.
The CEC's comments came as BNP expressed doubts about credibility of Sunday's election alleging their supporters were intimidated and arrested while their agents too were being harassed to keep them away from polling centres.
Later BNP's Alamgir said "Now we've no expectation over the election. This election has become a complete mockery....the state, the government and the Election Commission are working together to turn it into a mockery. There's no question of win or defeat since it is not an election at all as a particular party is trying to snatch election victory by force and using the state machinery".
Alamgir, however, asked his party candidates to stay in the race until the voting ended while NUF convenor Hossain urged voters to "restore democracy" and exercise their franchise.
Army Chief General Aziz Ahmed urged voters to exercise their franchise without any fear saying more military personnel would be called out if required.
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US lawmakers seek clarity over financial burden, human cost, endgame in Iran conflict
Washington: Tensions rose at the US Capitol on Tuesday as lawmakers sought clearer answers from the Trump administration on the objectives, duration and costs of the ongoing military campaign against Iran, even as preparations advanced for votes aimed at curbing the president’s war powers.
Senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, briefed members of the House and Senate for a second consecutive day behind closed doors, as reported by the Associated Press. The sessions came ahead of votes on war powers resolutions that would limit President Donald Trump’s authority to continue joint US-Israel operations without congressional approval.
Rubio told reporters that the president acted to prevent Iran from striking first. He rejected suggestions that Washington moved only because Israel was poised to launch its own offensive, saying instead that Trump believed the weekend presented a rare opportunity to act with maximum impact. “There is no way in the world that this terroristic regime was going to get nuclear weapons, not under Donald Trump’s watch,” Rubio said.
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The conflict has widened following US and Israeli airstrikes on February 28 that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has since launched missile attacks targeting US military bases in the region. At least six American service personnel have died so far.
The administration has indicated that supplemental funding may be required to sustain operations. It added that the concerns among lawmakers about the financial burden and potential for a prolonged engagement has disrupted legislative business, sharpening political divisions at the start of a competitive midterm election cycle.
Associated Press cited Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s concerns about what he described as possible “mission creep.” Senator Angus King questioned whether the United States had been drawn into war at Israel’s urging, while Senator Elizabeth Warren asked how the campaign aligned with Trump’s “America First” pledge to avoid extended foreign conflicts.
Defence official Elbridge Colby told senators the president had directed the military to degrade Iran’s missile capabilities and prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, stressing that the objective was not nation-building. Trump, speaking separately from the Oval Office, dismissed claims that Israel had forced his decision and suggested the conflict could continue if necessary. He has not ruled out deploying US ground troops.
Senator Richard Blumenthal was quoted by Associated Press as saying that he feared the possibility of American boots on the ground while Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin defended the operation, saying the president had acted decisively.
Uncertainty over Iran’s future leadership has added to concerns, with questions mounting about who might succeed Khamenei as Trump rejected the idea of backing Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran’s former monarchy. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the future of Iran should be determined by its people and House Speaker Mike Johnson said the United States would not engage in nation-building.
Lawmakers from both parties also reported a surge in calls from constituents seeking assistance for Americans attempting to leave the region as hostilities intensify.
The US Constitution grants Congress the right to declare war, however presidents have routinely begun military activities without formal declarations. Both houses are anticipated to vote on proposals that would require explicit congressional approval to continue operations. Some members have also argued that if constraints are not imposed, Congress should consider issuing an Authorization for the Use of Military Force to put lawmakers on the record.
Associated Press quoted House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries questioning the rationale for the campaign and saying there would be strong support among Democrats for the resolution. Johnson, however, warned that restricting the president during active combat could pose risks.
