DHAKA: The Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League-led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won the parliamentary elections by grabbing 232 out of 300 contested seats, the country’s Election Commission announced on Monday.
The elections were held across Bangladesh on Sunday to elect 147 members of the parliament amid opposition boycott, heavy security and severe violence as 18 persons were killed in separate incidents while hundreds of polling stations came under attack from opposition supporters.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led opposition parties boycotted the elections and urged voters to stay away from polling stations after Hasina refused to heed to their demands that a neutral caretaker setup should be installed before the elections.
The BNP also extended a general strike until Wednesday as it pressed Dhaka to declare the vote null and void.
Meanwhile, at least four persons were killed in post-election violence in Bangladesh on Monday, while ruling Awami League denied any talks with the opposition following its victory in the general elections.
In a statement, a ruling Awami League member Hasan Mahmud said that we are not thinking about talks right now with the opposition and said that his party’s top priority now is to form a government and contain violence.
Mahmud said that we have to eliminate violence and militancy to give the people a breather.
