Hasina wins Bangladesh vote, but low turnout and opposition boycott raise doubts over its legitimacy

By KRUTIKA PATHI and JULHAS ALAM
Associated Press

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has won an overwhelming majority in Bangladesh’s parliamentary election after a campaign fraught with violence and a boycott from the main opposition party, giving her and her Awami League a fourth consecutive term. The Election Commission said turnout in Sunday’s vote was about 40%. Authorities blamed much of the violence on the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, accusing it of seeking to sabotage the election. The absence of a major challenger to Hasina has raised questions over the legitimacy of the election.