Voting ends, counting begins in Bangladesh

Voting ended in Bangladesh's 10th parliamentary elections, marred by a series of violent incidents, boycotts and low voter turnout Sunday.

Counting of votes began shortly after balloting ended at 4 p.m., the Daily Star reported.

Voting in the parliamentary polls began at 8 a.m. Sunday amid a series of violent incidents that killed at least over a dozen people, including an election officer, in various districts.

Explosions occurred outside two polling stations in Dhaka, injuring at least five people.

Mired in controversy, the parliamentary elections were held in just 147 out of 300 seats in 59 out of 64 districts of the country. As many as 153 candidates have already been elected unopposed amid a boycott by the main opposition party and its allies.

Some 21 parties, including former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party, boycotted the polls over Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's refusal to introduce a non-party interim government to oversee the elections.