On Sunday, Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina secured her fourth consecutive and fifth overall term, becoming the longest-ruling woman head of government.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal informed that the 12th parliamentary elections registered around 40 per cent turnout — the second lowest ever recorded in the country.
Hasina Returns to Power
Hasina’s Awami League party won two-thirds of the seats in the general elections, the run-up to which saw widespread violence and curtailing of opposition voices.
According to Daily Star, Hasina’s Awami League won 223 out of 298 seats in the parliament.
Meanwhile, Independent candidates grabbed 61, while the Jatiya Party, the third largest in the country, grabbed 11 seats.
Sheikh Hasina wins 4th consecutive term in #Bangladesh:
— DD News (@DDNewslive) January 8, 2024
Read: https://t.co/HGTN7ku82Z@DhakaPrasar @ihcdhaka pic.twitter.com/SBjk6T2m2x
Voting took place in 299 constituencies as a candidate’s death in one constituency led to the cancellation of voting there. In another constituency, polling of two centres was withheld, so the results are yet to be announced.
This time around, 120 million citizens had the right to vote in elections conducted with 42,000 polling stations across Bangladesh. As many as 1,500 candidates from 27 political parties contested the elections, while 436 independent candidates were in the fray.
The Bangladeshi PM grabbed the Gopalganj-3 seat for the eighth time since 1986, securing 249,965 votes.
Her closest opponent, M. Nizam Uddin Lashkar from the Bangladesh Supreme Party, managed to secure only 469 votes.
The Awami League has alleged that the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) set up dummy candidates even though it boycotted the polls upon accusing Hasina of undermining the democratic process.
Meanwhile, Hasina has labelled the BNP a “terrorist organisation.”
Violence, Opposition Boycott
The BNP called for a 48-hour nationwide general strike starting Saturday.
Over two dozen people were killed as a result of the political unrest that gripped the nation prior to the polls.
On October 28, opposition parties led by the BNP staged a joint demonstration to demand that PM Hasina resign and make way for a free and fair election under the aegis of a neutral caretaker government.
Over 25,000 BNP members are said to have been arrested during the unrest, 1,250 have received jail sentences, and over 93,000 have had lawsuits filed against them.
In an article published on 26 November, Human Rights Watch asserted that the government was detaining thousands of people as part of a “violent autocratic crackdown” intended to crush competition.
India, China Congratulate Hasina
Upon Hasina’s victory, India, Russia, and China joined other countries in congratulating Hasina.
The Bangladeshi leader enjoys support not only from India but also from China as she balances ties with the two regional rivals.
However, the US has also shown interest in the country’s electoral process, expressing concerns over the violence and democratic backsliding.
Meanwhile, India, which exercises positive ties with its neighbour, has remained neutral on the issue, calling the elections an “internal matter” of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina wins fourth term in controversial vote https://t.co/GQMHpyubGr
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 8, 2024
India was the first country to congratulate PM Hasina on Monday. During his meeting with the re-elected PM today, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma extended cordial greetings and felicitations on behalf of the Indian government and PM Narendra Modi.
At the premier’s official home, the Gonobhaban, on Monday, diplomats from Bhutan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Brazil, and Morocco also paid her a warm greeting.