On December 30, 2018 I was peacefully able to exercise my right to vote early on the day. However, everything started to go wrong after that.

Mass boycott by opposition party candidates and allegations of vote rigging were all very painful for voters who had travelled long ways to participate in a national election for the first time in 10 years. Many of them said they had witnessed first-hand how unfair means were being employed to swing the election in a particular direction. And lives ended up being lost in the violence that ensued as a result.

This was a terrible loss for the nation, its citizens and their democratic right to vote. It was nothing short of an insult to our constitution and what we call the spirit of the Liberation War.

However, since the AL-led Grand Alliance won by a margin that nobody expected them to and will now be forming the next government, we hope to see significant changes being brought to the workings of our state machineries. Corruption, nepotism, etc. that have in the past destroyed any semblance of good governance must be gotten ridden of, and we hope to see the new government make good on its election promises.

Congratulations to the AL and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Iqbal Ali Khan, By-email