The US on Tuesday expressed concern over reported harassment, intimidation and violence which made it difficult for many opposition candidates to hold rallies and campaign freely ahead of polls in Bangladesh and asked the country's election commission to address the claims of alleged irregularities.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League and its allies won the general elections on Sunday, bagging 288 of the total 299 seats which went to the polls.
The jailed ex-premier Khalida Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which won five seats in the 300-member Parliament, has rejected the poll outcome as "farcical" and demanded fresh election.
The opposition Jatiya Oikya Front - National Unity Front (NUF) - comprising the BNP and some smaller parties, criticised the Election Commission (EC) and accused its chief of being biased. The EC, however, ruled out holding fresh polls.
"The US commends the tens of millions of Bangladeshis who voted in Bangladesh's 11th parliamentary election on December 30, 2018, as well as the decision of all major opposition political parties to participate, a positive development after the boycotted election of 2014," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said.
The Trump administration, in its first reaction to the December 30 parliamentary poll results in Bangladesh, said that the US remains deeply invested in the future of Bangladesh and its democratic development.
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He asserted that the US was the Bangladesh's largest foreign investor, largest single-country market for Bangladeshi exports, and a home to a large community of Americans of Bangladeshi origin.
"In this light, we note with concern credible reports of harassment, intimidation and violence in the pre-election period that made it difficult for many opposition candidates and their supporters to meet, hold rallies, and campaign freely," Palladino said.
Expressing concern that election-day irregularities prevented some people from voting, he said this undermined faith in the electoral process.
"We strongly encourage all parties to refrain from violence and request the Election Commission work constructively with all sides to address claims of irregularities," Palladino said.
"Bangladesh's impressive record of economic development and respect for democracy and human rights are mutually reinforcing, and we look forward to continue working with the ruling government and opposition towards advancing these interrelated goals," the State Department spokesperson said.