Bangladesh Opposition ruins free elections
The blame for the high electoral death toll, the low voter turnout, the truncated mandate and the resulting political uncertainty from Sunday's general election in Bangladesh must be laid entirely at the doorstep of the Opposition in Dhaka. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led 18 party alliance not only boycotted the poll but had so vitiated the atmosphere in the run-up to the vote that it became impossible to have a meaningful democratic exercise. Indeed, Sunday's election was the deadliest in Bangladesh's history, with two dozen people losing their lives. Voter turnout was at a historical low of 30 per cent, in stark contrast to the high turnout of 87 per cent that was registered only five years ago. The wholesale Opposition boycott also meant that, of the 300 parliamentary seats which were up for grabs, Awami league candidates secured 153 of them even before a single ballot had been cast. The battle for the remaining 147 seats was mostly a friendly fight between the main ruling party and its allies.
Consequently, though the Awami league Government has been voted back to power effectively unopposed and will enjoy a two-thirds majority in the 10th Jatiya Sangsad, its victory will unfortunately be considered less than emphatic. The new regime will have trouble exercising political, legal or moral legitimacy to rule for the next five years. This is tragic given how Bangladesh had only recently got back on the democratic track after years of political instability coupled with military rule. But BNP chief Khaleda Zia and her allies unfortunately put their narrow political gains over the larger national interest, when they chose not to budge an inch from their demand for a non-party caretaker Government to administer the poll. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose Government had abolished the caretaker system given its troubled political legacy, had even offered to meet the Opposition half-way with an all-party caretaker regime, but to no avail. The Opposition only hardened its stance and took to the streets with its characteristic vengeance. Over time, as it became clear that the regime would not blink, the Opposition intensified its campaign of violence, vandalism, arson and murder that was served to a suffering public with long periods of hartal. In fact, almost all of December, Bangladesh was shut down, while the ‘indefinite' blockade of rail, roads and waterways was re-imposed on January 1.
It is unlikely that the situation will improve soon given that the Opposition has stated that it will continue with its disruptive tactics. The BNP has announced another round of hartal while its Jamaati allies have busied themselves targeting minorities. On Monday, Islamists reportedly ransacked 130 Hindu homes in a Jessore village where two locals had dared to cast their ballot. Ironically, the Jamaatis themselves have been barred from the democratic process after their party was found to be in violation of the Constitution of Bangladesh. The only way forward is for Prime Minister Hasina and Ms Zia to come to some sort of a political understanding that will end the cycle of violence, and eventually pave the way for a fresh election, if needed — much like it was done back in 1996. New Delhi could play a crucial role in mediating such a solution.