The result of the Bangladesh general election held on December 30, 2018, gave an unexpectedly huge victory to the Grand Alliance, dominated by the Awami League of veteran prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The alliance won 288 seats out of 300 contested in the election.
After the votes were counted, the junior alliance partner, the Jatiya Party with 22 seats, changed sides and offered to serve as a less than convincing opposition despite its electoral agreement with the Awami League.
For Sheikh Hasina this will be her third consecutive term as prime minister and her fourth in power. More importantly for her, she will be in office for the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War when it separated from Pakistan.
