Bangladesh’s Sham Election and the Regression of Democracy in South and Southeast Asia

Last weekend, Bangladesh’s long-ruling Awami League won a significant election “victory,” taking a reported 222 seats out of a total of 298 available, according to the country’s Election Commission, which is heavily stacked with Awami League functionaries. This gives the Awami League and its increasingly autocratic leader, Sheikh Hasina, her fourth straight term in office and fifth term overall as prime minister.