Q+A-Why are Bangladesh's elections important?

Bangladeshis were voting on Monday in a parliamentary election that returns the country to democracy after two years of emergency rule.

Following are answers to key questions about the poll:

WHAT IS THE ELECTION FOR?
Voters will choose a 300-seat parliament that will in turn put in place a civilian, ministerial government succeeding an army-backed interim authority.

The authority took power in January 2007 amidst politically related violence, cancelling an election scheduled for that month and suspending many political rights.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Bangladesh is an impoverished Muslim-majority country of 140 million people strategically placed on the Indian Ocean at the eastern edge of South Asia between India and Myanmar.

Neighbours worry about an increasingly violent Islamist militant minority that could provide support and shelter for radical activists in their own countries.

A government that brings economic growth to Bangladesh will improve the lives and minimise social unrest among the populace, some 45 percent of whom are below the poverty line, and reduce the need for foreign aid.

The country has a thriving textile industry but growth for it and other manufacturers has been limited by energy shortages. Past governments have failed to develop significant natural gas and coal resources.

WHO ARE THE KEY PLAYERS?
Former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia lead the two strongest election alliances, and one is expected to be prime minister again when the dust settles.

Hasina is seen as perhaps slightly more business-friendly and more likely to defend a secular Bangladesh than Khaleda, although the latter also supports economic liberalisation and has promised an aggressive crackdown on violent extremists.

Indeed, analysts say the women's policy differences are minimal and it matters less who wins than that the losers accept the results, avoiding strikes and street violence. In the past such turbulence has made it difficult for any government to be effective and spurred military intervention.