Bangladesh's democracy faces strain as Hasina is reelected amid a boycott by opposition parties

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has swept to power for a fourth consecutive term in Bangladesh following an election on Sunday that was boycotted by opposition parties and roiled by protests and international scrutiny

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has swept to power for a fourth consecutive term in Bangladesh, following an election on Sunday that was boycotted by opposition parties and roiled by violent protests and international scrutiny.

Her Awami League party won 224 seats out of 299, according to local media, cementing a majority in Parliament and extending her 15-year-long rule that has already made Hasina one of the most defining and divisive leaders in the nation's history.

Official results from the Election Commission were expected later Monday.

Hasina's victory, which was widely seen as inevitable, came amid low voter turnout at 40% in a severely fractured climate that saw opposition members jailed ahead of the polls. The clampdown on political foes and stifling of dissent, analysts say, puts Bangladesh’s democracy in a fragile place, risks triggering political turmoil and may test some of its diplomatic ties.

Campaigning was rife with violence and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies boycotted the election saying that Hasina’s government could not oversee free and fair polls.