Sheikh Hasina set for fourth consecutive term as PM as Bangladesh goes to polls

Bangladeshi polling officials empty the ballot boxes (Altaf Qadri/AP)

Vote counting was under way in Bangladesh’s parliamentary election that was fraught with violence and a boycott from the main opposition party, paving the way for prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League to seize a fourth consecutive term.

At least 18 arson attacks preceded the vote but the election day passed relatively calmly.