2024 Bangladeshi general election

General elections were held in Bangladesh on 7 January 2024 in accordance with the constitutional requirement, stating that elections must take place within the 90-day period before the expiration of the current term of the Jatiya Sangsad on 29 January 2024. The Awami League, led by incumbent Sheikh Hasina, won the election for the fourth consecutive time with less than 40% of the eligible voters voting according to an Election Commission, which was run by the ruling political party. The party won 224 seats while independent candidates, most of whom were Awami League members propped up as dummy candidates to give a semblance of competition, won 62 seats. In the lead-up to the election, the incumbent government led by Sheikh Hasina cracked down on opposition parties and silenced critics of the government. Hasina's prime ministership has been described as authoritarian since being re-elected in 2008, and in 2011 removed the requirement that a temporary independent caretaker government be formed to hold elections. The main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, boycotted the elections (as they did in 2014) as they assumed that the election commission under the incumbent government were unable to organise a free and fair election. A protest over the election turnout emerged as the Chief Election Commissioner initially claimed, based on the data at hand, that turnout was 28%, but later retracted that statement to claim turnout was around 40%. The United States Department of State, in a statement, said that the election was not free and fair and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office termed the election lacking the preconditions of democracy. According to The Economist, through this election, Bangladesh effectively became a one-party state. Later on 5 August 2024, Sheikh Hasina fled the country, facing a widespread student protest and the 12th Jatiya Sangsad was dissolved. An interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus took charge as per the demand of the students. Early elections are expected to be called by April 2026 to elect a new Jatiya Sangsad.