Sheikh Hasina. The background poster is that of her father late Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first President of Bangladesh.
Dhaka/New Delhi: 76-year-old Sheikh Hasina led her political party Awami League to victory for a historic fourth consecutive term in Bangladesh elections, a Bangladesh Election Commission spokesperson announced in Dhaka today.
Overall, Sheikh Hasina will be in power for the fifth time in the country where the rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by the jailed former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia boycotted the elections. On the eve of the general elections, on January 6, 2024, the BNP gave a call for a 48-hour nationwide strike demanding the resignation of Sheikh Hasina.
Also read: Bangladesh faces a turbulent election time
According to an official at the Bangladesh Election Commission, the Awami League emerged victorious in 223 seats of the 300 parliamentary seats. However, with 50 seats reserved for women, which are apportioned to the elected party position in the Parliament, Awami League’s allies will make the numbers cross the 300 mark in the 350-member country’s Parliament which is known as Jatiya Sangsad, which is unicameral with a term limit of 5 years.
Preliminary reports suggested just about 40 per cent of voters turnout during the 12th general elections held on January 7, 2024. This marked the second lowest voter turnout since the reinstatement of democracy in Bangladesh in 1991.
Amidst much outcry over the credibility of this election given the arrests of some leaders and boycott of the elections by major opposition parties, India maintained that the elections in Bangladesh were the domestic affair of that country.
Today, soon after Sheikh Hasina’s historic victory – she continues to be crowned as the world’s longest-serving female head of government – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India was committed to further strengthen its “enduring and people-centric partnership with Bangladesh”.
Modi spoke to Sheikh Hasina today and congratulated her on her victory. “I also congratulate the people of Bangladesh for the successful conduct of elections,” he posted on X.
– global bihari bureau
