Sheikh Hasina has secured her fifth term as Bangladeshi prime minister in an election whose outcome was decided the moment its schedule was announced in November last year when the main opposition boycotted the election.
The Awami League won 222 out of the 300 elected seats in Parliament.
After polling closed at 4pm, the Election Commission (EC) said turnout was 40 percent.
Independent candidates secured a total of 63 seats, the second highest after Hasina’s Awami League. The current opposition, the Jatiya Party, managed to secure just 11 of the 300 parliamentary seats, according to the Elections Commission.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the leading opposition group, was leading a weekend general strike urging the public not to participate in what it calls a “sham” election.
Hasina’s government has been accused of rampant human rights abuses and a ruthless opposition crackdown. Several instances of violence were reported even before the polling began on Sunday.
