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Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League received a landslide victory in the general elections marred by sporadic violence and a boycott by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
News agency AFP, quoting Election Commission, said Hasina has won re-election for a fifth time. The ruling Awami League won more than 50 per cent seats which means she returned to power for a record fifth term and fourth consecutive term as PM. She won her constituency – Gopalganj-3 – for the eighth time since 1986. Hasina, 76, bagged 249,965 votes while her nearest rival M Nizam Uddin Lashkar from the Bangladesh Supreme Party secured just 469 votes in Gopalganj-3.
Votes counting underway
The counting of votes started on Sunday evening after the polling ended in Bangladesh’s general elections is underway.
The early results show that Awami League is leading the electoral race. So far, unofficially, Awami League has won in 10 constituencies, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
The election commission cancelled the candidature of a ruling Awami League candidate in northeastern Chattogram at the fag-end of the voting hours as he “scolded and threatened” a police officer. The development left the polls in the constituency to be contested by two rebel candidates who belong to the ruling party as well.
Bangladesh registers low voter turnout
Bangladeshis turned up in low numbers to cast their votes for the general elections. According to the initial estimates, the voter turnout was around 40 per cent but the figure could change after the final count, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said.
An hour before the voting ended, the election commission had said that the voter turnout was 27.15% at 3 pm. The 2018 general election recorded an overall turnout of more than 80 per cent.
“The voting ended at 4 pm and the counting has started,” an election commission spokesman said, adding that the results were expected by early Monday.
He said that other than some sporadic incidents of violence, the voting was largely peaceful in 299 of the 300 constituencies. The Commission suspended polling in one seat because of the death of a candidate.
The Commission cancelled the candidature of a ruling Awami League candidate in northeastern Chattogram at the fag-end of the voting hours as he “scolded and threatened” a police officer. The development left the polls in the constituency to be contested by two rebel candidates who belong to the ruling party as well.
The voter turnout was low as the ailing jailed ex-premier Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) stayed away from the polls asking people to boycott it. The party alleged that no election under the current government would be fair and credible.
The usual election-day fervour was nowhere to be seen. Even in front of the election campaign booths, there was no presence of voters except the ruling party-backed supporters and election agents.
Voters cast their votes without any disruption in the absence of long queues, leaving presiding officers with idle time.
Voting was cancelled at three centres — one in Narsingdi and two in Narayanganj. The Election Commission ordered the arrest of Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun’s son on charges of electoral fraud in Narsingdi, according to reports.
Shots were fired during a clash between supporters of two candidates running for the Chattogram-10 seat. Two people – Shanto Barua, 24, and Jamal, 35 – were shot and taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital.
Two people were injured after a clash between supporters of the Awami League candidate and an independent candidate at a polling centre in Jamalpur’s Sharishabari.
Four persons, including a child, were injured after two crude bombs exploded near a voting centre in Dhaka’s Hazaribagh.
A total of 119. 6 million registered voters were eligible to vote at Sunday’s polls in more than 42,000 polling stations, according to the country’s Election Commission.
More than 1,500 candidates from 27 political parties were contesting in the election, besides 436 independent candidates.
Over 100 foreign observers, including three from India, monitored the 12th general election, which is being held under tight security.
More than 7.5 lakh members of law enforcement agencies and security forces have been deployed to ensure law and order during the polls.
(With agencies inputs)
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