Bangladesh Elections 2024: Why the Bangladeshi opposition is boycotting this election
Bangladesh Elections 2024: This election has unfolded against the backdrop of Hasina's government tamping down on protests by opposition party representatives via widespread arrests. Her administration is battling accusations of severe human rights violations and a harsh crackdown on the opposition
Bangladesh Elections 2024: Bangladesh began voting for its general elections early today January 6, amid pre-poll violence and opposition calls for a boycott of the incumbent government and its candidate, current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Notably, however, Hasina looks set to win a fifth term, and fourth consecutive clean sweep in the country, amid a lack of a significant rival option.
This election has unfolded against the backdrop of Hasina's government unrelentingly tamping down on protests by opposition party representatives via widespread arrests. Her administration is battling accusations of severe human rights violations and a harsh crackdown on the opposition, AFP reported.
Opposition leader Abdul Moyeen Khan, 77, told Reuters he hid in the homes of acquaintances till the nominations closed to escape arrest. "We're not even in the election, but they are still not sparing us," he said, adding that he "returned home in December after nominations closed and removed any risk that he could pose an electoral threat", as per the report.
Khan is a member of the Standing Committee of the main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Bangladeshi Opposition Parties Boycotting Elections
According to Khan, the BNP is boycotting this election because incumbent Hasina declined to transfer authority to a caretaker government for conducting the poll, as per the Reuters report. He added that around 10 million party workers are on the move following the apprehension of nearly 25,000 individuals after the violent anti-government protests on October 28.
"Police and other government representatives were actively searching for our leaders, especially within their residences. This situation created a sense of fear among us. The jails are overcrowded, with statistics showing the number of inmates is double capacity," he added.
Khan added that conditions this time around are "more severe" than compared to the last election in 2018 when assaults on party workers prevented them from organizing rallies.
There are also accusations of a rigged election. As per an AFP report, while Hasina's party remains dominant in contested seats, it strategically refrained from nominating candidates in some areas. This move aims to prevent the legislature from being perceived as a solely one-party institution, it added.
Also Read | Bangladesh Elections 2024: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to cruise to fifth victory unopposed
Calls for boycott by citizens
BNP has called for a 48-hour strike by citizens to also boycott the elections, saying that Hasina cannot "guarantee fairness", as per an AP report.
On the morning of January 6, a small group of BNP supporters marched through Dhaka's Shahbagh neighbourhood, urging people to join a strike. Meanwhile, approximately 200 left-wing protesters gathered outside the National Press Club to condemn the upcoming election.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, a senior official from the BNP, reiterated his party's demand for Hasina's resignation, describing the election as "skewed" and accusing the government of orchestrating a one-sided contest. “The government is again playing with fire. The government has resorted to its old tactics of holding a one-sided election,” he said.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal assured reporters on Saturday that the upcoming parliamentary election would be conducted freely and fairly. “We want our election to be observed not only nationally, but internationally as well," he emphasised.
In response to queries regarding the main opposition's decision to boycott the vote, Awal remarked that the participation of the BNP would have made the election "more competitive" and "more festive." However, he acknowledged the possibility of recent violence affecting voter turnout.
The Election Commission announced the distribution of ballot boxes and other necessary supplies across more than 42,000 precincts for over 119 million registered voters.
Hasina's take on the boycott
"Bangladesh is a sovereign country and people are my power. I hope my party wins the people's mandate," Hasina told reporters after casting her vote this morning. Voter turnout was low in the morning, according to a Reuters report.
"I have to answer to the people of Bangladesh. What is important is if the people of Bangladesh will accept this election."
About 120 million voters will choose from nearly 2,000 candidates for 300 directly elected parliamentary seats. There are 436 independent candidates, the most since 2001.
Allegations of Human Rights Violations
Hasina and her party, the Awami League, have however termed the BNP as "troublemakers out to sabotage the elections", and denied all allegations by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International of human rights violations or crackdowns aimed at silencing the opposition.
In its November report, HRW said 10,000 BNP activists have been arrested in the October violence that left 16 dead and 5,500 injured.
Also Read | From Rahman vs Rahman to Hasina vs Zia: A look back at Bangladesh's tumultuous election history
Two BNP leaders told Reuters that police ransacked party leaders' homes, frequently conducted night raids and detained family members of escaped party workers. Police have however denied targetting anyone in particular. "Police are arresting only those involved in killings and attacks, vandalism and arson," a police officer told the publication.
Zillur Rahman of bipartisan think-tank the Centre for Governance Studies told Reuters the recent government steps were unprecedented. "The mass arrests of all major opposition players right before the election is a kind of authoritarian unmasking that is almost comical in its nakedness."
Political Dynamics
Bangladesh's political landscape has long been shaped by the rivalry between 76-year-old Hasina and 78-year-old Khaleda Zia. The latter claims credit as the former two-time prime minister of the country (being the first woman in the post) and as the daughter of the country's founding leader Army Chief General Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
Zia, currently in poor health in a Dhaka hospital, saw her son, Tarique Rahman, assume leadership of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), from exile in London. Rahman told AFP that his party, along with dozens of others, had refused to participate in a "sham election".
Also Read | Bangladesh elections update: Polling booths torched; schools, trains burned ahead election day
The opposition, including the BNP, protested for months last year, demanding Hasina's resignation ahead of the elections. This resulted in a widespread crackdown, with thousands of opposition members, including the entire local leadership of the BNP, reportedly arrested, the report noted.
Hasina accused the opposition of violence during last year's protests, while her government faced allegations of excessive use of force, the report added.
(With inputs from AFP, Reuters, and AP)
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First Published:7 Jan 2024, 12:36 PM IST
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