In a contentious election, Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, was able to win a fifth term in a row.
Following the Awami League and its allies’ victory in 223 of the 300 parliamentary seats up for grabs, Hasina will continue to hold office for a further five years. It is anticipated that Hasina’s party and allies will also win the remaining seats because the major opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party will be abstaining from the election.
The BNP claimed the survey was a fraud. The outcome on Sunday follows the widespread detention of BNP leaders and members.
Official statistics indicated a low voter turnout of roughly 40%, but even those figures could be inflated, according to critics. By contrast, over 80% of voters cast ballots in the most recent election held in 2018.
Eight seats went to the Jatiya Party, while 45 seats went to independents, nearly all of whom were members of the Awami League itself. Later on Monday, the results are anticipated to be formally announced.
Hasina, who was first elected prime minister in 1996 and has remained in office ever since, is serving her fifth term in office. As she cast her ballot, she told reporters, “I am trying my best to ensure that democracy should continue in this country.”
Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the Awami League, informed reporters that Hasina had directed party leaders and members not to participate in victory processions or celebrations.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), after an opposition rally on October 28 turned violent, almost 10,000 activists were taken into custody, resulting in more than 5,500 injuries and at least 16 fatalities. It charged that the government was “filling prisons with the ruling Awami League’s political opponents.”
