Bangladesh has been going through 2024’s first global elections—as around 50 countries will go through general elections in the current year—but a little has been changed on the ground in the South Asian country as de facto prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed is all set to win January 7 polls amid opposition boycott over alleged biased set up to conduct polls.
Who is Sheikh Hasina Wajed?
Sheikh Hasina Wazed has been serving as the 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh since January 2009, when regime of Hussain Muhammad Ershad culminated. Hasina is the leader of the Awami League (AL) and daughter of the founding father and first president of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—known as ‘Bangabandhu’ means Friend of the Bengal in the Bengali language.
Is Bangladesh opposition boycotting for first time?
As Eshad Mehmud’s Bangladesh National Party (BNP) boycotted the elections 2024. It is not the first boycott movement started in Bangladesh in the past Hasina lost the 1991 election to Khaleda Zia—with whom she had collaborated against Ershad.
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The country went into a deep political crisis after the 1993 crisis and ultimately Khaleda Zia resigned to a caretaker government subsequently Hasina became prime minister after the June 1996 election—the term ended in July 2001 with an electoral defeat from Zia.
As per the Bangladesh Election Commission, Khaleda Zia was the first Bangladeshi prime minister who completed a five-year term in office since it became an independent country from East Pakistan.
From 2006 to 2008, Hasina was behind bars on extortion charges and upon her release, she won the elections in 2008, and 2014 and her fourth term in the 2018 elections.
De facto PM for 19 years
Sheikh Hasina Wazed has been serving as PM of Bangladesh for the last 19 years and as of 7 January 2024— she is the world's longest-serving female head of government.
As per the Bangladesh Embassy in Uzbekistan, Sheikh Hasina was born on 28 September 1947 at Tungipara under Gopalganj district.
She is the eldest of five children of the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She graduated from the University of Dhaka in 1973.
Dramatic survivor of August 15, 1975 night killings
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with the members of his family was martyred on 15 August 1975 luckily Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana were the only survivors as they were in West Germany at that time.
Then from U.K., she launched a movement against Bangladesh's military ruler. She was elected unanimously as President of Bangladesh Awami League in 1981 lived in exile in New Delhi for six year and returned to Dhaka on 17 May 1981.
Hasina Wazed's first election
She won three seats in the parliamentary election held in 1986 became leader of the opposition and was re-elected as opposition leader in the country's fifth parliament and served in opposition from 1991 to 1996.
Non-party Caretaker Government
Sheikh Hasina had led the Bangladesh opposition parties for a ‘Non-party Caretaker Government’ to ensure free and fair polls wherein provision for a Non-party Caretaker Government was incorporated in the Constitution in March 1996 and subsequently she son the elections assumed the office of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on 23 June 1996.
Sheikh Hasina authored several books including "Why Are They Street Children", "The Origin of Autocracy", 'Miles to go "Elimination of Poverty and Some Thoughts", "People and Democracy", "My Dream My Struggle" and "Development for the Masses.". She has credit for resolving a long-standing water-sharing dispute with India through a 30-year treaty.
Sheikh Hasina Family life
In 1968 she married M.A. Wazed Miah, an eminent Bengali scientist. They have a son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and a daughter Saima Wazed Putul.
Polling starts in Bangladesh
As per Bangeldesh’s The Daily Star, the voter turnout in many polling centres in the national election was seen to be low in the first two hours after polls opened at 8:00am and will continue till 4pm without a delay.
