Hasina Dismisses Claims of “Sham” Election After Landslide Win
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has brushed off opposition claims of a “fake” election after securing a landslide victory for a historic fifth term. Hasina dismissed allegations by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that Sunday’s vote was rigged, calling her win a “victory of the people.”
“I have been fighting throughout my life to ensure people’s democratic rights,” the 76-year-old said at a news conference in Dhaka on Monday. She stated the BNP “didn’t come to the election as they feared people’s judgement,” adding one party’s absence doesn’t mean “democracy is absent.”
The BNP called for the election to be annulled and a new vote under a neutral caretaker government. At a briefing, BNP leader Abdul Moyeen Khan labeled it a “dummy election” and deemed the Awami League government “illegitimate.”
He warned a “government of the dummy, by the dummy, for the dummy will be established if Hasina attempts to form any kind of government.” The BNP vowed to continue protests against the months-long crackdown on dissent by authorities.
“We can’t let our country turn into a complete authoritarian state,” Khan stated.
The election saw a 40 percent turnout, the third lowest ever. The BNP disputed the figure amid allegations of voter suppression.