Hasina to be PM for fourth time Hasina to be PM for fourth time Her coalition bags a landslide in Sunday’s polls News Report
Sheik Hasina is poised to be a longest-serving prime
minister in world politics as her coalition scored a
landslide in an election in which the opposition
played truant.
Results of Sunday’s voting reaching the returning
officers appointed by the Election Commission across
the country showed the ruling Awami League and its
Grand Alliance taking most seats, leaving a few for
the BNP and its Jatiya Oikya Front.
When sworn in, she would hold office as the head of
government for a fourth term in total and a third
term in a row—a status hardly held by any female
politician in the world.
Indira Gandhi had served as prime minister of India
for three consecutive terms (1966–77) and a fourth
term (from 1980) cut short by her assassination in
1984. Angela Merkel is in her fourth tenure as
Chancellor of Germany since 2017.
However, the way the BNP and its newfound greater
coalition, the JOF, joined the polls by breaking a
protracted boycott since the last polls held in 2014,
set candidates, led campaigns and attended the
polling centres took most analysts by surprise.
“It’s mysterious,” said Prof Zia Rahman doing an
anatomy of the polls and the BNP attitude at a TV
talk show, as reports said their polling agents were
not found in many polling centres and even some
candidates didn’t turn up to see what.
The opposition parties and alliances had demanded the
election to be held under a neutral interim
government after dissolution of parliament. Their
movement having failed, they eventually decided to
join the polls, keeping their demand in abeyance,
avowedly to disprove that election under party
government cannot be held fairly in Bangladesh
context.
The national elections 2018 were finally held under
the party government and without dissolution of
parliament. The analysts pointed out that the onus
lay with the government to prove that it is possible.
Following lots of developments on the political
front, including the jailing of BNP chief and ex-PM
Khaleda Zia, the election took place this time with
participation of all registered parties on government
assurances that the polls would be held in an
inclusive, free and fair manner.
But, in view of the outcome, the analysts wondered if
the opposition deliberately gave the ruling coalition
a ‘walkover’ to prove their argument that fair
election is not possible under party government.
“It may create problem for the government,” said Prof
Zia and agreed other participants.
As they spoke, the BNP-dominated Front came up with a
demand for the EC to declare the polls void and call
fresh election as they alleged the vote turned out to
be a ‘farce’.
On the other side, AL leaders hailed it as a historic
election under a party government.
“The participation of people of all strata in the
election proves that it was held peacefully,” AL
spokesman HT Imam told the reporters at a post-pool
press conference.
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