Bangladesh conducted general elections on January 7. Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina Wajid has won the fourth consecutive term in another controversial election. She has been in power since 2009. Overall she has won her fifth term in office.

According to official results, the ruling Awami League (AL) has won 223 seats (34 less than the last elections) in the house of 300 while 62 seats have been won by independents. The only opposition party in parliament, the Jatiya Party (JP), has won just 11 seats (15 less than the last elections). The Awami League won nearly 75 per cent votes polled on January 7.

The turnout was historically low at less than 40 per cent. This is the second-lowest turnout since 1991. According to the Bangladesh Election Commission, the turnout was just around 27.5 per cent one hour before the close of the polls. However many local observers think that this figure is not more than 30 per cent.

The low turnout clearly indicates that there was hardly any enthusiasm and interest in the elections. Bangladesh has a history of high turnouts in parliamentary elections. But it was different this time. More than 60 per cent of voters preferred to stay at home than to cast their ballots. This result means that the new parliament is dominated by the Awami League and its smaller allies. There will hardly be any opposition in parliament.

According to Bangladeshi media, most of the independent candidates are linked with the Awami League and they........

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