Bangladesh's ruling Awami League 'wins boycotted poll' 6 January 2014 Last updated at 05:42 Bangladesh's ruling Awami League has won a violence-plagued general election whose outcome was never in doubt, according to preliminary results. The opposition had boycotted the vote, and fewer than half the 300 parliamentary seats were contested. At least 18 people were killed during Sunday's polling. Dozens have died in the run-up to the election. Voter turnout appears to have been particularly poor, with just over 20% reportedly taking part. More than 70% voted in the 2008 parliamentary elections, with officials saying the fear of violence and the boycott kept many away this time. Torched The opposition Bangladesh National Party (BNP) led a nationwide 48-hour strike beginning on Saturday after its leader Khaleda Zia urged supporters to "completely boycott" what she called a "scandalous farce" of an election. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina rejected the opposition's demands for her to step down and set up a neutral government to oversee the poll. The BNP has demanded that results be declared null and void and has called for another 48-hour general strike to begin on Monday. Widespread violence erupted across the country on Sunday. Scores of polling stations - many of them schools - were torched, and violent clashes broke out between opposition activists and police. With results in from all but eight constituencies, the Awami League won 105 of the 147 contested seats, with allied parties or independent candidates taking the remaining 34. The ruling party also held 127 seats that were unopposed. A final result is expected later on Monday. However, the initial tally means Sheikh Hasina will face no problem forming the next government. Sabir Mustafa BBC Bengali editor The opposition strike is only the latest in a string of protests by the BNP and its allies - including the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party - that has seen a blockade of roads, railways and waterways and the closure of shops, schools and offices. In the run-up to the polls, scores of opposition supporters died in police shootings and dozens of commuters were burnt to death by protesters throwing petrol bombs at strike-defying buses. The government has insisted the BNP should take part in the polls within the existing constitutional framework.