Bangladesh’s 12th national parliamentary election was unfree and noninclusive, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said on Wednesday in its primary findings on the January 7 balloting.
“The overall experience including gains and losses are ominous for the future of Bangladesh’s democracy and democratic election, which are contradictory to the spirit and dreams of the glorious liberation war and independence,” according to the report revealed at a press conference at the anti-graft organization’s office in Dhaka.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman spoke at the event.
The TIB surveyed 50 of 300 constituencies under its 12th national parliament election process tracking.
The country’s main opposition, led by the BNP, boycotted the polls after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government refused to accept its demand to hold the vote under a non-partisan caretaker administration.
According to the report: “The election was not free and inclusive due to mutually contradictory and intransigent positions of the two largest political parties.
“The state of hostage of the future of democracy to this contradictory agenda and intransigence-driven conflict has been further exacerbated,” it added.
It said: “The agenda to ensure continued stay in power through one-sided election has been successfully achieved, the legality of which may not be challenged, or may not hold if challenged. But in terms of political integrity, democratic and moral values this success will remain ever debatable.
“The key elements of the concept of a democratic election and national international good practices like free, inclusive and above all, the precondition of a level playing field for the free, open and unrestricted competition were not met,” said the report.
The report also highlighted the role of the Election Commission.
“The Election Commission, sometimes by compulsion in the name of Constitutional and legal compulsion and on occasions by design, played the role of a key catalyst for the realization of the agenda of the one-sided election. Other state institutions, especially law enforcement agencies and administration were also used to play, or played the same role in similar ways,” the report said.
“It has once again been proved that the country's zero-sum game of electoral politics has no relevance to political ideology. Despite being an election without any meaningful political opponent, where fabricated competitions were staged between the ruling party nominated candidates and against its own ‘independents’ and those of other protégé parties, violations of the electoral code of conduct have been pervasive including unhealthy rivalries and violent hostilities which had nothing to do with political ideology or public interest,” said the report.
The report concluded that: “Finally, as ominous the experience around the 12th national parliament election is for the democratic future of Bangladesh, it is going to be a test case of lessons on what countries and peoples around the world with democratic aspirations would need to do and avoid, especially in terms of democratic backsliding and related electoral strategies and innovations.”
