The Bangladesh ruling party, Awami League, is poised to steamroll to victory as January 5 elections draw near.
The Bangladesh National Party (BNP) is boycotting in protest at Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's move to scrap the tradition of letting a caretaker government oversee elections. The impasse threatens to undermine the legitimacy of the poll and is fuelling worries of economic gridlock and further violence in the impoverished South Asian country of 160 million.
But young voters in the country's capital, Dhaka, said they were hopeful their votes would hold influence.
Outlining the characteristics of their ideal candidates, students who are at an age to cast vote said they looked for equality and justice.
"We want a representative that will think about everyone. Be it a man, who lives on the streets or someone who holds the highest ranking position in the country, the representative must be concerned for all. The representative shouldn't stick to just his or her own opinion but also listen to our views," said Mohammad Sabuj Hossain.
Apu Placid Modhu said he would vote for candidates that supported the detention of war criminals.
"I will vote for those who are conducting inquiry against the people, who opposed the liberation war," he said.
Dhaka University professor, Rawshan Ara Firoz, said young people were becoming more conscious voters.
"I think the youth has become conscious. They are now aware of the fact that justice against war crimes should be delivered in the country. This raises hopes in my mind."
While the outcome of Sunday's poll seems certain, what happens afterwards is not.
Pre-election violence that killed more than 100 people, mostly in rural areas, had eased in recent days, although two people were burnt to death early on Friday (January 3) when opposition activists hurled petrol bombs at a truck in northern Dinajpur, according to police.
Five polling centres were set on fire in southeastern Feni, BNP leader Khaleda Zia's hometown.
