Bangladesh’s general election, which opposition political groups boycotted, saw a comfortable victory for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League political party. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won for the fourth time in a row. Sri Lanka Latest News
Bangladesh Parliament has 350 seats. Out of which 50 seats are reserved for women representatives. The Bangladesh Election Commission said that 120 million people were eligible to vote in the general election held yesterday (7), and half were women.
When the results of the general election held yesterday (7) were released, the Awami League and its allied political parties managed to win more than 152 seats. Accordingly, 76-year-old Sheikh Hasina, who has been in power since 2009, will be the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for another five years.
The main opposition political group in Bangladesh is the Bangladesh National Party. The Bangladesh National Party and its allied opposition political parties boycotted the election, pointing out that fair elections cannot be expected under Sheikh Hasina’s government.
Before the election, violent protests took place in Bangladesh for months. It was demanding that Sheikh Hasina step down from office, dissolve the government, hand over power to a caretaker government, and hold general elections under that caretaker government. However, Sheikh Hasina did not like it. More than 10,000 opposition activists, including leaders of opposition political parties, were arrested and imprisoned.
Two strong women in Bangladesh politics. Sikh Hasina and Khaleda Shia are the two. Khaleda Shia was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2006. She is the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina is the daughter of Bangladesh’s founder and first president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Khaleda Shia was the leader of the opposition Bangladesh National Party. On February 8, 2018, Khaleda Shia was sentenced to 5 years in prison on corruption charges. Later it was extended to 10 years. Khaleda Shia, who is currently in poor health, is under house arrest.
Khaleda Shia’s son Tariq Rehman, who succeeded her as party leader, faced criminal charges. He is now living in exile from Bangladesh in London
Even before the start of the election yesterday (7), acts of violence were reported. Rioters representing opposition political groups attacked a passenger train and set it on fire. Four passengers who were travelling on the train lost their lives.
It was also reported that rioters stormed and attacked several polling stations set up in schools and Buddhist temples. Eight hundred thousand police and army personnel were deployed to protect the election.
Meanwhile, former cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan also appeared for the vote this time and he also managed to win.
