WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. government has concerns about the state of democracy in Bangladesh, a State Department spokeswoman said after the swearing in of the country's prime minister.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected to another term. Hasina and her ruling Awami League party Cabinet were sworn in during the weekend.
Marie Harf, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said she was frustrated with the state of affairs in Bangladesh.
"We have already made clear our disappointment with the elections, which in our view did not credibly reflect the will of the Bangladeshi people since almost all of the seats of the new Parliament weren't contested or had only token opposition," she said during a Monday press conference.
Hasina first took office in 2009. She's the eldest child of Mujibur Rahman, the country's first president.
More than a dozen people were reported dead as a result of violence tied to elections in Bangladesh, the 10th election since the country gained independence from Pakistan in 1971.
More than a dozen opposition parties, led by the Bangladesh National Party of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, boycotted the election.
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