The United States has condemned the various incidents of violence in Bangladesh both before and after the national elections, and called on the government to conduct a 'credible and transparent' investigation reports bdnews24.com.
While calling for accountability for those involved in the violence, Washington also raised concerns about the arrest of numerous opposition leaders.
During a media briefing on Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller reiterated that the 12th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh were not "free and fair".
In the Jan 7 polls, the Awami League cruised to a fourth consecutive term, securing 223 of 299 seats amid a boycott by the BNP and its allies. Independent candidates, the majority of whom are leaders from the Awami League, won the second highest number of seats with 62.
The Jatiya Party, the official opposition in the 11th parliament, saw its seats reduced to 11, more than half its previous count. Among the Awami League-led 14 Party Alliance, JaSad and the Workers Party each secured one seat.
The political temperature in the country simmered in the run up to the election, punctuated by a police crackdown on the BNP's antigovernment rally in Dhaka on Oct 28. Incidents of violence and deadly arson attacks roiled the country ahead of the polls, and continued on polling day and in its aftermath.
After the vote, Miller said that the elections in Bangladesh were not conducted fairly and condemned both the violence and the mass arrests of opposition leaders.
During Thursday's briefing, he was once again asked about the US stance on the elections amid concerns of eroding democracy in Bangladesh. "We do remain concerned by the arrest of thousands of political opposition members and by the reports of irregularities on election day," he said.
"We share the view with other observers that these elections were not free and fair. We regret that not all parties participated, and we condemn the violence that took place during elections and in the months leading up to it.
Miller also lamented the "lack of participation from all parties" in the elections amid the BNP boycott.
Asked whether US concerns about the election's credibility imply that it would not recognise Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's fourth consecutive term, Miller responded, "No, no."
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