Boat Sails To 4th Term, Who Will Be The Opposition

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League clinching a record-extending fourth term in power was never in doubt, but Sunday's (January 7) election has catapulted the independents into the second position ahead of the Jatiya Party, with the boycotting BNP out of the equation.

It raises questions about the composition and role of the opposition in parliament, especially in light of the largest opposition BNP's boycott.

Independent candidates of the ruling party have scored shock victories over dozens of heavyweights, including incumbent MPs of the Awami League and the Jatiya Party.

The Jatiya Party is set to be the official opposition in parliament again, commanding just 11 seats. Its candidates have lost in half of the 26 constituencies left by the Awami League in a seat-sharing deal.

The rebel candidates of the Awami League have won nearly six times as many seats as the Jatiya Party at 61. The Awami League has secured an absolute majority with 223 out of 299 constituencies.

The unexpected victories of these independent candidates have significantly altered the political landscape, hinting at a new era of internal competition within the ruling party itself.

As Bangladesh steps into this new term under the Awami League's governance, the reshaping of the opposition poses critical questions about the future of the country's parliamentary dynamics and political balance.

The Awami League’s allies the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and the Workers Party won one each. The Kalyan Party, which had once been in the BNP-led coalition, also secured a win in one seat.

Amid low turnout, senior BNP leader Abdul Moyeen Khan claimed their boycott of the polls worked. His party has been out of parliament since the 2014 vote which it stayed away from and did so again five years later demanding elections under caretaker administration.

Sensing a resounding defeat to the Awami League and its independent candidates, Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader expressed worries that his party may have been persuaded to contest the election only to be used as a pawn in establishing “single-party rule” in Bangladesh.

Hasina, after casting her ballot in the morning, said she had no doubt that the Awami League would win.

She thanked the people for allowing the government to hold a fair election.

Awami League gets a fourth term, but who gets to be the opposition in parliament?