Bangladesh turnout low in election set to keep PM Hasina in power

A voter comes out of a designated area after casting his vote during the 12th general election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, January 7, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain

DHAKA (Reuters) -Bangladeshis largely stayed away from the polls in a general election on Sunday set to give Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a fourth straight term, after a vote boycotted by the main opposition party and marred by violence.

Rights groups have warned of virtual one-party rule by Hasina's Awami League in the South Asian country of 170 million people after the boycott by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and some smaller allies.