Bangladesh returned to democracy amid high security this morning as millions of voters turned out after living for two years under a military-backed emergency government.

The early hours of the first ballot in Bangladesh in seven years appeared to proceed peacefully, with long lines of voters forming at polling stations.

"I've come here half an hour before the polling began. There are already 200 women standing in lines," Tashkina Yeasmin, a voter waiting in line in the northwestern town of Chapainawabganj, said.

More than 81 million people are eligible to vote.

Clashes between supporters of rival parties left more than 80 people injured on Saturday, the last day of campaigning, stoking fears that more unrest would follow.

Over the weekend, security officials said they had found 40 bombs around the country and detained several Islamist militants who they alleged had been linked to plans for further violence.

Bangladesh has been ruled by an interim government since January 2007, when the military stepped in amid widespread political violence and cancelled an election due that month.

The army's move against Bangladesh's notoriously corrupt political class was initially welcomed by many ordinary citizens, but lost support as the military-backed administration resorted to increasingly draconian measures to curb dissent.

Analysts say that an honest, stable government could help lift millions of Bangladeshis out of abject poverty, but many fear a return to the cronyism that made the country's politics some of the dirtiest in the world.

Alliances led by two former prime ministers, Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League and Khaleda Ziaare of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party are regarded as the leading contenders in today's polls – despite the current government's efforts to push both women out of politics, first by attempting to drive them into exile, then by imprisoning them on corruption charges.

Both women, who between them ruled Bangladesh for nearly two decades, still face corruption charges and have recently traded accusations of vote-rigging.

Both women have set out similar manifestos during their election campaigns: each has promised to reduce poverty by ensuring at least one member of each family has employment; address Bangladesh's shortfall in power production; lower food prices; and tackle terrorism.

Yesterday, Fakhruddin Ahmed, the head of the interim government, urged both sides to respect the verdict of the Bangladeshi people.

"We hope all will accept the election results in good grace," Mr Ahmed said.

"We want unity in diversity. It is critically important to have mutual respect, harmony and tolerance."

However, it is still unclear what role the powerful army will assume when an elected government takes charge.

About 2,000 foreign observers and 200,000 local monitors will watch over the voting. The government has deployed about 50,000 army troops and thousands of other security personnel to ensure the poll is credible.

More than 50,000 troops and 75,000 police have been deployed across the country to maintain order and prevent a repeat of past elections that descended in to weeks of rioting.

The counting of votes will begin immediately after the polls close at 4pm local time this evening. Results are not expected until tomorrow at the earliest.

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