The ruling Awami League, on 5th January, 2014, Sunday, swept
the general election in Bangladesh which were marred by deadly clashes, low
turnout and a boycott by opposition parties, even as 21 people were killed in
poll-related violence.
Most voters preferred to stay at home fearing violence during the polling in 147 out of 300 constituencies in 59 districts. Candidates in other constituencies would be declared elected unopposed due to the boycott, officials said.
According to media reports, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League won 95 seats out of the 147 up for elections. Jatiya Party (JP) secured 12 seats, while 13 seats went to smaller parties or independent candidates.
Hasina won from Gopalganj and Rangpur constituencies. The
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, boycotted the polls after
her arch-rival and Prime Minister Hasina rejected the opposition's demand for a
neutral caretaker regime for election oversight.Most voters preferred to stay at home fearing violence during the polling in 147 out of 300 constituencies in 59 districts. Candidates in other constituencies would be declared elected unopposed due to the boycott, officials said.
According to media reports, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League won 95 seats out of the 147 up for elections. Jatiya Party (JP) secured 12 seats, while 13 seats went to smaller parties or independent candidates.
Deadly violence flared across the country
despite tens of thousands of security personnel deployed to maintain law and
order. Police said 17 people, mostly opposition cadres, and a security
personnel were killed after the overnight deaths of an election officer and two
other people.
A total of 390 candidates, mostly from the Awami League and its ally Jatiya Party, contested from 147 seats where the number of voters was nearly 44 million.
Protesters hurled crude bombs at polling centres and stole ballot papers during the "one-sided" contest boycotted by the opposition. Voting was suspended at 160 centres due to torching of booths and snatching of ballot boxes and papers.
Opposition cadres set over 200 polling stations on fire. Hasina's Awami League was set for a sweeping victory in the polls as the outcome was never in doubt because of the boycott. The party expressed satisfaction at the turnout.
The BNP said the people have said no to the "one-sided" polls. "People have rejected the government by saying no to its expectation of clutching to power through the one-sided election," BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said soon after polling ended.
The opposition, on Saturday, had enforced a 48-hour nationwide strike aimed at derailing the polls. It announced another 48-hour strike beginning on Monday. The opposition alliance will enforce a fresh shutdown alongside the ongoing indefinite blockade of rail, roads and waterways.
The election commission has not yet announced the official turnout in 10th parliamentary election.
Chief election commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said boycott by some political parties and thick fog were reasons for the low voter turnout. He, however, claimed that the polls were "fair".
A total of 390 candidates, mostly from the Awami League and its ally Jatiya Party, contested from 147 seats where the number of voters was nearly 44 million.
Protesters hurled crude bombs at polling centres and stole ballot papers during the "one-sided" contest boycotted by the opposition. Voting was suspended at 160 centres due to torching of booths and snatching of ballot boxes and papers.
Opposition cadres set over 200 polling stations on fire. Hasina's Awami League was set for a sweeping victory in the polls as the outcome was never in doubt because of the boycott. The party expressed satisfaction at the turnout.
The BNP said the people have said no to the "one-sided" polls. "People have rejected the government by saying no to its expectation of clutching to power through the one-sided election," BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said soon after polling ended.
The opposition, on Saturday, had enforced a 48-hour nationwide strike aimed at derailing the polls. It announced another 48-hour strike beginning on Monday. The opposition alliance will enforce a fresh shutdown alongside the ongoing indefinite blockade of rail, roads and waterways.
The election commission has not yet announced the official turnout in 10th parliamentary election.
Chief election commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said boycott by some political parties and thick fog were reasons for the low voter turnout. He, however, claimed that the polls were "fair".
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