Dhaka, Jan. 9 -- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says he is monitoring the situation in Bangladesh following the parliamentary election and has condemned the violence before and after the polls.

The topic came up during a daily briefing by Florencia Soto Niño, associate spokesperson for the secretary-general, on Monday.

In response to a question at the briefing, she said:

"We have seen the situation that's unfolding there. The secretary-general continues to follow what's happening. He notes the opposition's decision to boycott the elections. I mean, all the allegations of the stifling of dissenting and critical voices and arrest of opposition leaders. He's obviously concerned about reports of incidents of violence prior to, ...