DHAKA: Candidates backed by the former ruling Awami League were set for a thumping victory in mayoral elections in Bangladesh, the national Election Commission said yesterday.
Monday’s local polls in four cities and nine towns — the first in Bangladesh since a national caretaker government declared a state of emergency a year and a half ago — were swept by candidates supported by the party led by former Prime Minister Hasina Wajed, officials said.
Awami League-backed Badruddin Ahmad Kamran was declared the winner in Sylhet in northeastern Bangladesh after overnight counting, officials said. The Awami League candidates were also poised for convincing victories in the three other cities where elections were held: Rajshahi, Barisal and Khulna.
Unlike past elections, voting was peaceful under emergency rule, with a high voter turnout. The Awami League’s rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, saw its candidate win a narrow victory in Dhupchhaya.
