Landslide victory for Bangladesh PM Hasina; low voter turnout

Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was re-elected to Parliament on Sunday from the Gopalganj-3 constituency after a landslide victory in the general elections marred by sporadic violence and a boycott by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

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Hasina, 76, bagged 249,965 votes while her nearest rival M Nizam Uddin Lashkar from the Bangladesh Supreme Party secured just 469 votes, bdnews24 reported.

Gopalganj Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer Kazi Mahbubul Alam announced the result.

She has won the Gopalganj-3 seat for the eighth time since 1986.

Prime Minister Hasina, who has been ruling the strategically located South Asian nation since 2009, is set to secure a record fourth consecutive term and fifth overall term.

The ruling Awami League candidates are leading in most of the seats, according to the results so far.

Earlier, the counting of votes started after the polling ended in the general elections which registered low voter turnout.

According to the initial estimates, the voter turnout was around 40 percent but the figure could change after the final count, Chief Election Kazi Habibul Commissioner Awal said.