The absence of Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League, banned from participating in the elections, presented a rightward shift in the country’s polity benefiting the BNP, which was out of power for almost two decades.

Apart from the election for the National Assembly, around the Bangladeshi electorate will also vote in a referendum on proposed changes to the country’s constitution and political system

The party’s president, Rashed Khan Menon, has been imprisoned for over a year and party offices, including its central office, have been occupied by pro-government mobs for months now.

Since Hasina stepped down on August 5, there have been increasing incidents of violence against members of her party and symbols of the Liberation War.

Vijay Prashad reflexiona sobre las últimas semanas de protestas y convulsiones en Bangladesh, que culminaron con la dimisión de la Primera Ministra Sheikh Hasina.

The Grand Alliance, led by the Awami League of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, secured 288 seats while the National Unity Front was able to secure only 7.

The elections in Bangladesh on December 30 are a key moment in the country’s history with critics accusing the Sheikh Hasina government of authoritarian tendencies