2018 Bangladeshi general election

2018 Bangladeshi general election
← 2014 30 December 2018 2024 →
300 of the 350 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad
151 seats needed for a majority
Registered104,156,269
Turnout80.20% (Increase 40.62pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Sheikh Hasina HM Ershad Khaleda Zia
Party AL JP(E) BNP
Alliance Grand Alliance Grand Alliance Jatiya Oikya Front
Last election 72.14%, 234 seats 7.00%, 34 seats Boycotted
Seats won 257 26 7
Seat change Increase 23 Decrease8 Increase 7
Popular vote 63,523,066 4,443,351 11,113,253
Percentage 74.63% 5.22% 13.06%
Swing Increase 2.49pp Decrease 1.78pp Increase 13.06pp
Results by constituency
Prime Minister before election

Sheikh Hasina
AL

Subsequent Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina
AL

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General elections were held in Bangladesh on 30 December 2018 to elect 300 directly-elected members of the Jatiya Sangsad.[1] The result was another landslide victory for the Awami League-led Grand Alliance led by Sheikh Hasina. The elections were marred by violence, and were widely considered by opposition politicians and the international community to be rigged.

According to political scientist Ali Riaz the elections were not free and fair.[2] BBC News, among others, observed some apparent vote rigging by the Awami League.[3] Opposition leader Kamal Hossain rejected the results, calling it "farcical" and demanding fresh elections to be held under a neutral government. The Bangladesh Election Commission said it would investigate reported vote-rigging allegations from "across the country."[4][5] The election saw the use of electronic voting machines for the first time.[6]

  1. ^ EC reschedules election date to December 30 Dhaka Tribune, 12 November 2018
  2. ^ Riaz, Ali (21 September 2020). "The pathway of democratic backsliding in Bangladesh". Democratization. 28: 179–197. doi:10.1080/13510347.2020.1818069. ISSN 1351-0347. S2CID 224958514.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Bangladesh election: Sheikh Hasina wins new term as prime minister". BBC News. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  5. ^ "PM Hasina's Awami League registers landslide victory in Bangladesh". The Times of India. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  6. ^ "In A First, Electronic Voting Machines For Bangladesh General Elections". NDTV. Retrieved 1 January 2019.