• Tweeter

  • republish

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the exit of the polling station where she went to vote in Dhaka on December 30, 2018. Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha / Handout via REUTERS

In Bangladesh, according to the preliminary results of the legislative elections the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is heading for a broad victory in the elections held on Sunday, December 30th. In anticipation of the final results expected to be released by Monday, the head of government and his party Awami League have already won 29 of the 300 seats in parliament against none to the opposition, the opposition who rejects these results and demands new elections. On the sidelines of the poll, clashes between militants on both sides resulted in 17 deaths.

The day was violent, as was the election campaign. A total of at least 17 people died in various clashes between ruling party and opposition supporters on election day, despite the deployment of 600,000 men to ensure security in the country.

If this victory announced by the preliminary results is confirmed, the Awami League will have succeeded its bet: to re-elect for a new five-year term its leader Sheikh Hasina and obtain a very large majority in Parliament.

Opposition challenges results

The results are already disputed by the opposition, of which about 100 candidates have chosen to boycott the vote to protest against the risk of electoral fraud due to the lack of independent observers or opposition in the overwhelming majority of voters. 40,000 polling stations.

Moreover, accusations of stuffing ballot boxes, complaints from voters who could not vote have accumulated throughout the day. One of the main opposition parties, the BNP, even goes so far as to contest the validity of 221 of the 300 seats in Parliament.

BNP leader Kamal Hossain has asked the electoral commission to cancel the election and hold new elections as soon as possible.

► A (re) read: General elections in Bangladesh: the stakes of a crucial election