Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to return for a new term in office as her party, Awami League (AL), has registered a landslide victory, Bangladesh’s Election Commission said on Monday.
However, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), a key ally of the Opposition front has called the election farcical and demanded a fresh vote, reported bdnews24.
The BNP has suffered a massive rout with just five seats plus two of its allies in the Jatiya Oikya Front.
Hasina would become Prime Minister for an unprecedented fourth term after AL secured win in 259 constituencies of the 300-seat parliament, according to results released by the Election Commission for 298 seats.
Opposition Oikya Front chief Kamal Hossain called the polls a ‘farce’ and demanded a fresh vote citing widespread polling frauds.
Early indications of the massive margin of the victory for the Awami League were visible in the race contested by Bangladesh’s prime minister for the Gopalganj-3 seat.
According to the official results announced by Secretary Helal, Hasina received 229,529 votes from the 246,514 voters in the constituency.
The paddy sheaf candidate for the Gopalganj-3 set was SM Zilani, who received only 123 votes. The turnout at Gopalganj for the race was 93 percent, the EC secretary said.
Bangladesh went to the polls between 8am and 4pm on Sunday. Voting was suspended at 22 polling centres due to irregularities.
At least 17 people were killed in election violence in 11 districts across the country.
