Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina re-elected to parliament after main opposition party boycotts polls

The counting of votes is currently underway, and results are expected by Monday. According to the Election Commission’s initial estimates, the voter turnout is around 40 per cent but the figure could change after the final count. This stands in contrast to the overall turnout of over 80% recorded in the previous election held in 2018.

Meanwhile, voting was cancelled at three centres — one in Narsingdi and two in Narayanganj. As per reports, the Election Commission has ordered the arrest of Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun’s son on charges of electoral fraud in Narsingdi.

PM Sheikh Hasina on Sunday expressed her indifference to the approval of the polls by foreign media, emphasising that her primary concern is the acceptance of the election by the people of the country. She made these remarks following the casting of her vote.

“Whether people accept this election or not it is important to me. So, I don’t care about their (foreign media) acceptance. No matter what did the terrorist party say or not?” PM Hasina said.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, meanwhile, on Sunday said that BNP abstained from participating in the parliamentary election due to the anticipation of an expected defeat.

“The BNP has taken a strategy of boycotting the election with various excuses, various demands. They participated in the 2018 election and got some parliamentary seats, but this year they did not participate knowing they would be defeated,” Khan, a senior leader of tej ruling Awami League, was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune newspaper.

Bangladesh has around 20 million voters, while nearly 2,000 candidates are in the fray for the 300 parliamentary seats. There are 436 independent candidates — the most since 2001.

Why has the opposition boycotted elections?

The boycott by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its smaller allies has put a blot on the credibility of elections, with the BNP alleging that the Awami League has propped up “dummy” candidates as independents to try to make the election look democratic, reported Reuters. Hasina’s bloc has denied the claim.

BNP’s current leader, the exiled Tarique Rahman has also called the process a “sham”. The BNP wanted the election to be held under a “caretaker government” to ensure a fair and unbiased process, however, Hasina did not relent.

Amid tensions, the BNP, which also boycotted polls in 2014, has urged people to boycott the polls and called a two-day nationwide strike till Sunday night.

Besides the scepticism around the fairness of the electoral process and Hasina’s autocratic tendencies, the state of the economy is another factor in the elections as well. While Hasina has been credited with taking Bangladesh’s economy to a good place, the cost of living has jumped as the country struggles to pay for costly energy imports amid weakening domestic currency and depleting dollar reserves.

Hasina’s message for India

In a video message on voting day. Sheikh Hasina extended her wishes for India and highlighted India’s support during the Liberation War in 1971. She said, ”We are very lucky…India is our trusted friend. During our Liberation War, they supported us…After 1975, when we lost our whole family…they gave us shelter. So our best wishes to the people of India,” reported ANI.

The PM also appeared to vote on Sunday, following which she spoke to Reuters and said: “Bangladesh is a sovereign country and people are my power.. I am trying my best to ensure that democracy should continue in this country.”

Pre-poll violence in Bangladesh

On Friday, an apparent arson fire on a train in Bangladesh’s capital killed four people and added to the country’s extreme tension ahead of the parliamentary elections. The BNP has demanded a UN-supervised investigation into the incident which it described as a “pre-planned” act of sabotage, reported PTI.

Consequently, troops have been stationed across Bangladesh to maintain peace, with around 800,000 police, paramilitary and police auxiliaries guarding polling booths on Sunday.

— With Reuters, PTI inputs