"Elections in Bangladesh not free and fair": US claims amid Sheikh Hasina's victory

The USA has made a big claim regarding Bangladesh. A senior US official said on Tuesday that the voting was conducted amid the opposition's boycott and that mass arrests were also made making the authenticity of the polls doubtful.

He said Bangladesh's elections were not fair after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won for the fifth time. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, "The United States shares the view with other observers that these elections were not free or fair, and we are disappointed that not all parties participated."

Matthew Miller said in a statement, "The United States condemns the violence that occurred during and in the months following the elections. We encourage the Government of Bangladesh to conduct credible investigations into reports of violence and hold perpetrators accountable."

This statement of America echoes Britain's comment, but it is full of differences with the regional power India. Indian PM Narendra Modi has praised Sheikh Hasina's victory and the "successful" conduct of the elections, but America has a different stance on this.

Like India, America's relations with Sheikh Hasina have also been cordial and working to a great extent. America considers him to be pro-business and like-minded in opposing Islamic extremism, but despite this, Washington does not shy away from criticism on rights issues.

The State Department said it looked forward to continuing to work with Bangladesh to "advance their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific." The State Department said it "looks forward to working together on supporting human rights and civil society in Bangladesh and strengthening people-to-people and economic ties." Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won the general elections for the fifth consecutive time. His party Awami League has won 223 seats in the 300-seat Parliament.