Bangladesh's prime minister Sheikh Hasina secured a fifth term in power on Monday as her party took three-quarters of seats in parliament while polls were boycotted by the country's opposition who described the process as "illegitimate". While Sheikh Hasina's government has been accused of human rights abuses and crackdown on dissent, her economic model has been praised.
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Sheikh Hasina said the economic progress of her country was her main aim in the next five years as "by nature, our people are very smart and as I mentioned that we want to train our younger generation for the future. It is our target to develop the country by 2041. Smart population, smart government, smart economy and smart society are our main aims."
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which participated in the 2018 vote but kept away in 2014, boycotted the polls claiming that Sheikh Hasina did not want to resign and allow a neutral authority to run the election.
The Bangladeshi premier said, “Those with ties to terrorist organizations or engaged in illegal activities, fearing elections and refraining from contesting, contribute to the victory of the people, not mine.”
"Each political party has right to take a decision. The absence of one party in election does not mean democracy is absent," she added.
{{/usCountry}}"Each political party has right to take a decision. The absence of one party in election does not mean democracy is absent," she added.
{{/usCountry}}Talking about Dhaka's relationship with New Delhi, Sheikh Hasina said, “India is a great friend of Bangladesh. They have supported us in 1971 and also in 1975. They gave shelter to me and my sister and my other family members. We consider India as our next-door neighbour. We had many problems but we resolved it bilaterally. So, I really appreciate that we have a wonderful relationship with India.”
"I have a good relationship with every country because that is our motto," she asserted.