The US, the UK, the Commonwealth and Canada have expressed discontent over the 10th parliamentary elections where candidates were elected unopposed in more than half of the 300 seats and voter turnout on Sunday was low.
Condemning the spate of violence centring polls, they called on both the government and the opposition parties to engage in dialogue immediately towards a participatory and peaceful election which may reflect the will of the people.
On the other hand, India termed the polls “constitutional requirement” and internal process of Bangladesh.
“The United States is disappointed by the recent parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. With more than half of the seats uncontested and most of the remainder offering only token opposition, the results of the just-concluded elections do not appear to credibly express the will of the Bangladeshi people,” said a press statement issued by the US State Department.
It encouraged the political parties to engage in immediate dialogue to find a way to hold elections as soon as possible in a free, fair, peaceful, and credible manner.
The US also asked the government to provide “political space to all citizens to freely express their political views.” At the same time, it called strongly on the opposition to use such space peacefully and responsibly, and for all sides to shun the path of violence immediately.
UK’s Senior Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi in a separate statement said: “We note the announcement of the results of the 10th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh; an election called in accordance with Bangladesh’s constitution. We, therefore, urge the new government and all political parties to act in line with the interests of the people of Bangladesh.”
A former Bangladeshi diplomat said the UK did not recognise the election and so it used the expression “we note the announcement.”
“Had they accepted the election, they would have sent a congratulatory or welcome message,” he said. Bangladesh, in many cases depending on the relationship, sent welcome message twice – one after victory in election and again after forming the government, the diplomat added.
Calling for an initiative to hold a new election, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird expressed extreme disappointment as more than half of the seats were not contested freely, but instead were “filled through acclamation.”
He called on all parties to look beyond their immediate political concerns and work cooperatively to focus nationally on the country’s development and its bright future.
Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma of the 53-nation Commonwealth in a statement echoed the views of the US, the UK and Canada with regard to the issues of polls results, low turnout, dialogue and violence.
Elections internal, says India
In response to questions, the Indian foreign ministry’s official spokesperson yesterday said the elections in Bangladesh were a “constitutional requirement.”
“They are a part of the internal and constitutional process of Bangladesh. It is for the people of Bangladesh to decide their own future and choose their representatives in a manner that responds to their aspirations. Violence cannot and should not determine the way forward. The democratic processes must be allowed to take their own course in Bangladesh.”
Foreign missions to ‘wait and see’
The foreign missions working in Bangladesh will adopt “wait and see” policy to determine the level of engagement with the new government, say diplomats.
“We are still assessing the post-election situation as many things are still not clear to us,” said a diplomat of an Asian country seeking anonymity as the official was not authorised to speak to media.
“Formation of the new government and how the new administration contains violence are the two issues that we will like to see...what we want are stability and return to normalcy in Bangladesh,” the diplomat said stressing the need for holding dialogue.
Asked if the embassy would issue any statement, he said: “It will come from our headquarters and it might take some time.”
A European diplomat said the future engagement of his country with Bangladesh would be determined based on the policies of the new government. “Good governance and human rights situations are the two important issues for my country,” he said wishing not to be named.
The diplomat said they heard that a crackdown was imminent to contain the ongoing violence, but feared that the law enforcement agencies might violate human rights in doing so.
“We expect to issue a statement as soon as possible and it will be issued by our minister, not from the embassy,” he said.
The diplomat said they always encourage dialogue among the political parties but it seems that at present nobody is interested to sit with others. “We did, do and will do encourage this dialogue,” he said.
