Bangladesh elections 2024
General elections were held in Bangladesh on 7 January 2024 as per the constitutional requirement that the elections must be held within a period of 90 days before the expiry of the current term of the Jatiya Sangh on 29 January 2024. The Awami League, led by outgoing Sheikh Hasina, won the election for the fourth consecutive time with a turnout of nearly 40% of eligible voters. In the general elections, Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina won from Gopalganj-3 parliamentary seat. Sheikh Hasina got 249,965 votes, while her nearest rival and Bangladesh Supreme Party's M Nizam Uddin Lashkar got only 469 votes.
Sheikh Hasina's victory
Sheikh Hasina has won the Gopalganj-3 seat eight times since 1986. Prime Minister Hasina is going to get the fourth consecutive term. This is his fifth term so far. Hasina has been ruling Bangladesh since 2009. According to the trends so far, Awami League candidates are leading on most of the seats. As of 8 January 2024, she is the world's longest-serving female head of government.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cast her vote at the Dhaka City College polling station soon after the voting began. During this time his daughter Saima Wajid was also with him. He alleged that the opposition BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami alliance does not believe in democracy.
Electoral System
The 350 members of the Jatiya Sangsad include 300 seats directly elected using first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies, and an additional 50 seats reserved for women. Reserved seats are filled by proportionally elected members. Each Parliament sits for a term of five years.
Future of Democracy in Bangladesh
As Sheikh Hasina begins her fifth term, the focus has now shifted to how she will handle the complex political landscape, address human rights concerns and maintain an economic growth path. The composition of the new parliament, with a larger number of independent representatives, also signals a possible change in the political dynamics of Bangladesh. The world is watching as Bangladesh steps into this new era under the continued leadership of Sheikh Hasina.