Bangladesh PM wins new term in vote marred by violence
Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has secured a new term with a landslide victory, the country’s Election Commission said on Monday, in an election marred by deadly violence and condemned by the opposition as “farcical” amid vote rigging claims.
Hasina’s ruling Awami League (AL) party and its allies won a total of 288 of the 300 parliamentary seats contested in Sunday’s poll, well above the 151 seats needed to form a government. With this tally, the AL surpassed its previous election wins, making Hasina the Prime Minister for an unprecedented fourth term.
The opposition alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of jailed former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia took just seven seats and condemned the vote as “farcical”. They demanded a new vote, bdnews24.com reported.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Hasina over telephone and congratulated her on the victory. “Wished her the very best for the tenure ahead,” he tweeted.
Modi also India’s reiterated continued commitment to work together for the development of Bangladesh and further strengthening of bilateral relations.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also congratulated Hasina in a tweet.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang also extended their congratulations to the Bangladesi leader. Bangladesh’s Parliament has 350 seats in total, 50 of which are reserved for women and allotted proportional to the overall vote.