Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina swept to a fourth straight term in power, with her party winning almost 75 percent of the seats in the January 7 general election that was boycotted by the main opposition and drew a low turnout.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which participated in the 2018 vote but kept away in 2014, boycotted the polls after Hasina refused its demands to resign and allow a neutral authority to run the general election.
Bangladeshis largely stayed away from the election, which was marred by violence. Turnout was about 42 percent when polls closed, said chief election commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal, compared with over 80 percent in the last election in 2018.
The U.S. State Department said elections in Bangladesh were not free and fair, adding Washington was concerned by reports of vote irregularities and condemned violence that took place. The British government's foreign office also condemned what it called "acts of intimidation and violence." Hasina played down the boycott by the opposition and said her aim for the next five years was to boost the economy.
Read more here.
