By Xinhua,
Dhaka : Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party won the ninth Bangladesh parliamentary election held Monday, the country’s Election Commission announced Tuesday.
The primary results of 229 constituencies updated at 6.25 a.m. (0025 GMT) were available, it said.
The Awami League bagged 175 seats, while its ally Jatiya Party led by former president Hussain Muhammad Ershad won 21 seats. The Awami League-led 15-party alliance bagged 199 seats so far.
Private news agency UNB reported that the Awami League-led alliance has won a landslide victory as its candidates were leading in more than 233 seats.
The other major political force Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia bagged 21 seats, while the BNP-led four-party alliance won 22 seats.
BNP has, however, claimed that it got evidence of “huge irregularities, rigging and forgery” in the just-concluded parliamentary elections, the report said.
The South Asian nation held its ninth parliamentary election Monday for the 299 of the total 300 Bangladesh parliamentary seats. The election to the other seat in southeastern Noakhali district will be held Jan 12 after one candidate there died in a fire accident.
More than 1,500 candidates of 39 registered political parties as well as independent candidates participated in the polls. Any party that wins over half of the Bangladesh parliamentary seats can pick a prime minister, who then selects the cabinet members.
Awami League and BNP were in power alternatively in Bangladesh between 1991 and 2006.