There were municipal elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, this past Tuesday and sadly the way the elections were carried out reflected the unfortunate state the nation is in with its locked-horns political situation that has been the status quo for far too long. The common people are really tired – and may lose patience – with their political parties.
Our man-in-Dhaka Shamsul Basunia tells us that: “Despite calls for peaceful, inclusive and transparent elections government staged them in a chaotic atmosphere. The 28-nation organization European Union has regretted that vote rigging, intimidation and violence marred the elections in Dhaka and Chittagong on 28 April, despite the calls from the international community for peaceful, inclusive and transparent elections.
“On the contrary, polls monitoring the Election Working Group (EWG) on Wednesday said Tuesday’s elections in Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations were carried out with fraudulent practices and violence. The misdeeds that were committed during the voting in Dhaka and Chittagong have made the process not at all trustworthy us [to EWG), said the EWG director Abdul Alim reading out a statement during a briefing at the National Press Club.”
The EWG’s observers stationed at 619 polling centres during the ballot came up with common observations – intimidation of agents of rivals, stuffing of ballot papers by capturing centers, and violence that plagued the elections. Voters were not given the chance to choose, the European Union reported, asking Dhaka to investigate thoroughly the irregularities and acts of violence in the just-concluded city polls.
Also, the EU reiterated its earlier call for engaging in a constructive manner for the long-term stability and democratic development of Bangladesh. Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Wednesday blamed the election commission (EC) and law enforcement agencies for failure to hold credible and peaceful elections in Dhaka and Chittagong.
Premier Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said that democracy has emerged victorious through the elections to the Dhaka north, south and Chittagong city corporations. She said this when Awami League-backed newly elected mayors of Dhaka north Annisul Huq and Dhaka south Sayeed Khokon went to Ganabhaban along with their family members in the evening.”However, the arch opposition BNP has decided to go on an all-out agitation movement against the government and that may really harm our country yet again,” declared Shamsul Basunia.
Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission
BANGLADESH: Nation needs competent institutions to bury election nightmares
Bangladesh has witnessed one more fake election yesterday, 28 April 2015. The process of electing people’s representatives to the City Corporations of Dhaka and Chittagong has been marked by fraudulence. Rigging and ballot stuffing by ruling party cadres, polling officers, and law-enforcement agents reigned all across the two cities, as witnessed by human rights defenders associated with the Asian Human Rights Commission.
Widespread violence by rival groups of the ruling political camps prevented electors from approaching the booths and casting their votes. By mid-day, the police and polling officers had asked voters of several jurisdictions to leave the polling centres, informing that their votes had already been cast. Many candidates were themselves not allowed to vote. Poling agents of all candidates other than those associated with the ruling party – Bangladesh Awami League – were driven away; some were assaulted and arrested by law-enforcement agents.
Contestants reportedly filed written complaints to the Election Commission officials; however, their complaints did not yield any action in terms of preventing violence and stopping blatant electoral manipulation. As a result, pro-opposition and independent candidates boycotted the election by the afternoon.
The police barred journalists from covering news, preventing the creation of photos and footage documenting the rigging. At least a dozen journalists were assaulted and their cameras were snatched or broken. Despite challenges, the media has succeeded in exposing electoral manipulations in the newspapers and private television channels.
Ironically, Mr. Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed, Chief Election Commissioner, has claimed the elections have been held in a “fair, peaceful and festive manner”, while speaking to the press. The CEC or the Election Commission did not take any credible step to maintain order and its own control over the electoral process. However, the CEC has officially brushed aside all allegations of manipulation, terming them as “some stray incidents”. In fact, the Election Commission has paved the way for the ruling party of the government, which had declared its desire to win the city polls “at any cost”.
It is a fact that credible and competent institutions do not exist in the country; be it the law-enforcement agencies, the Election Commission or the Judiciary. The people of Bangladesh, in general, believe that there won’t be any action initiated against any of the perpetrators, except the activists of the opposition. The Election Commission, the law-enforcement agencies, the government of the day, and all the successive political regimes should share the shame of what has happened yesterday in Dhaka and Chittagong. The civil society, which failed to act in an unbiased fashion, and failed to uphold normative standards in performing their role in society should also share the shame.
These elections in Bangladesh showcase the state of the country’s basic institutions, which severely lack competence, independence, and professionalism in upholding the rule of law. And, lording over these weak institutions is an unhinged political culture, with entrenched habits of grabbing political office by force rather than through constructive actions.
Such elections are also the main reason behind many crimes being committed by high profile elites who avail the benefits of a flawed criminal justice system and weakened institutions. Fake elections, like those orchestrated on January 5, 2014, and the one that took place yesterday, contribute further to increase public distrust in the workings of the state.
Anyone who is interested in seeing a progressive and democratic Bangladesh in the near future should come out of the illusion that there will be “investigations” into the manipulation of the election, also known as “election engineering” in the country.
Instead of wasting time and resources, there is a burning need to build the institutions to the extent that they can serve the aspirations of citizens who pay their tax-money and strive for democracy and justice in the society at large. Failure or delay in doing so will cost more lives and cause more frustrations under the prevailing authoritarian and chaotic regime. In such circumstances, without necessary attention being given to creating independent institutions, the most dangerous radical forces stand to gain the most, the growth of which will create even greater problems in terms of national security and external security in the region.
See: www.humanrights.asia
Commentary on the Protho Alo website reiterates what is stated and felt above in an article titled: AL wins, democracy loses.
“The people’s apprehensions about the three city corporation elections were finally proved true. Political analysts see this as a victory for the ruling Awami League (AL), but a defeat for democracy. Government supporters did not allow the opposition supporters anywhere near the polling stations in most areas. They openly cast their false votes, aided and abetted by the police and the administration. Within a few hours of the election, the BNP-backed candidates announced that they were boycotting the polls. First Chittagong mayoral candidate Manjur Alam announced his boycott, followed shortly by in Dhaka Mirza Abbas’ wife Afroza Abbas and Tabith Awal.”
Twenty-seven reporters from Prothom Alo visited 123 of the 1093 centres of Dhaka North city corporation and 156 of the 889 centres in the south, to get this picture. In Chittagong, 12 Prothom Alo reporters visited 127 of the 719 centres. In the remaining centres, it was reported that voting went smoothly in some while there was rigging in others.
There were approximately 2.35 million voters in Dhaka north, 1.87 million in Dhaka south and 1.81 million in Chittagong city corporation.
“The Awami League candidates — Annisul Haque in Dhaka North, Sayeed Khokan in Dhaka South and AZM Nasir Uddin in Chittagong — have all won the elections. Most of the winning councillors are backed by the ruling party too.
“Amid all the mayhem of the polls, the chief election commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed, blithely claimed that the elections were free, fair and festive. On behalf of the commission, he thanked all involved in the election and highlighted the expansive voter turnout.
“Speaking during a press briefing at the election commission secretariat media centre on Tuesday, the CEC said he had visited a number of polling centres and nowhere did anyone complained of being obstructed from casting their votes or being threatened in any way.”
Prothom Alo also reported that, “Workers and supporters of the BNP-backed candidates hardly put up any resistance of protest during the elections as they had been threatened by the ruling party activists as well as the police. Polling agents of the BNP-backed candidates didn’t even turn up in many of the centres. Finally, mid-way through the voting, all three of the BNP-backed mayoral candidates announced their boycott of the election.
“There were also clashes between the supporters of the Awami League-backed candidates and those of the Awami league rebel candidates. The gunman of a member of parliament even opened fire on voters in a polling centre of Old Dhaka.”
It was not only the BNP that was seriously complaining. “Others boycotted the polls midway too. Jatiya Party-backed mayoral candidate Saifuddin Ahmed of Dhaka South announced his boycott after casting his vote in the morning. He said that all the centres were in the ruling party’s control and the ballot boxes had been stuffed in advance. In Dhaka North, Zonayed Saki summoned a press conference and announced his no-confidence in the election process. Similar boycotts were announced by others.”
The Communist Party of Bangladesh President Mujahidul Islam Selim was reported saying, “The government instigated the opposition to boycott the 5 January election and snatched victory. This time it snatched victory through sheer vote theft. The election commission, the police and the administration assisted them. They have hammered the last nail in the coffin of democracy.”
See: http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/65089/AL-wins-democracy-loses
Just to wrap up this article a friend writes from Dhaka: “Yesterday (28 April) we had mayor elections in Dhaka and Chittagong. BNP boycotted the elections at about noon time. No doubt the elections were heavily rigged to make sure that candidates backed by the party in power are elected. They have been elected by the end of the day indeed! But the day was awesome and set another milestone of election rigging! This will have far-flung consequences. I do not know where we are heading.
