[1] The result was another landslide victory for the Awami League-led Grand Alliance led by Sheikh Hasina.

[4] Opposition leader Kamal Hossain rejected the results, calling it "farcical" and demanding fresh elections to be held under a neutral government.

[7] The previous general elections in January 2014 were boycotted by the main opposition alliance, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

[23] On 13 October 2018, the Jatiya Oikya Front (National Unity Front) was formed,[24] consisting primarily of the Gano Forum, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab) and Nagorik Oikya,[25][26] led by former Foreign Minister Kamal Hossain of the Gano Forum.

On 18 December the alliance announced a 14-point manifesto, which included a pledge to reduce the power of the office of Prime Minister.

In 2013, the hard-line, right-wing, Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami was banned from registering and therefore contesting in elections by the High Court, citing their charter violates the constitution.

[30][31] An investigation was launched but on 23 December the Election Commission Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed said they had examined the related law and "there is no scope for rejecting the Jamaat leaders' candidacy at this moment.

[37] According to The Daily Star, at least 56 candidates, mostly from the BNP, were attacked, with around 1,190 people injured and over 800 BNP-Jamaat officials arrested between 10 and 28 December.

[41] On 3 January 2019, Human Rights Watch called for an investigation on attack on members of the opposition party on and before Bangladesh elections.

[42] A BBC correspondent reported seeing a ballot box already full of votes prior to the polling station in Chittagong opening.

[3] Allegations of voting irregularities including polling booths inexplicably closing for “lunch breaks”, voters being turned away and ballots being counted unrealistically quickly were widespread.

[43] Local media published accounts by correspondents who claimed to have witnessed Awami League members stuffing ballot boxes in the presence of police and election officials.

For example, Bangladesh JaSaD's Mayeen Uddin Khan Badal contested as a Awami League candidate, and won.

On the other hand, unregistered members of the Jatiya Oikya Front fielded some candidates as Bangladesh Nationalist Party runners.