Sporadic incidents of violence and boycott of main opposition parties in Bangladesh were seen during the general elections held on Sunday.
The general election, held amid a boycott by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies, recorded a low voter turnout.
Bangladesh Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said that according to initial estimates, the turnout was around 40 percent, but this figure may change.
The Election Commission said that in the 12th parliamentary elections, 27.15 percent voting was recorded till 3 pm. After this election, it is certain that the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will return to power again.
“The highest turnout was in (South-Western) Khulna division, where 32 percent people cast their votes,” a Bangladesh Election Commission spokesperson said.
The lowest turnout was in (northeastern) Sylhet division, where the figure was 22 percent.” The overall voter turnout in the 2018 general elections was more than 80 percent. An Election Commission spokesperson said, “Polling ended at 4 pm and counting of votes has started.”
He said that the results are expected by early Monday morning. He said that voting has been postponed at seven polling stations due to irregularities.
Elections were largely peaceful: Bangladesh Election Commission
The spokesperson said that apart from a few isolated incidents of violence, polling was largely peaceful in 299 constituencies out of 300. Voting for one seat will be conducted later due to the death of a candidate. According to reports, polling was canceled at two polling stations, one in Narsingdi and one in Narayanganj.
The Election Commission has ordered the arrest of the son of Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmood Humayun on allegations of election rigging in Narsingdi. According to reports, bullets were fired during a clash between supporters of two candidates contesting from Chattogram-10 seat.
Two people, Shanto Barua, 24, and Jamal, 35, were shot and taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital. Two people were injured after a clash broke out between supporters of an Awami League candidate and an independent candidate at a polling booth in Sharishabari, Jamalpur.
Four people, including a child, were injured when two crude bombs exploded near a polling booth in Dhaka’s Hazaribagh. According to the country’s election commission, voting took place at more than 42,000 polling stations. More than 1,500 candidates from 27 political parties are contesting the elections and apart from them there are also 436 independent candidates. More than 100 foreign observers, including three observers from India, will monitor the 12th general elections.
More than 7.5 lakh members of law enforcement agencies and security forces have been deployed to maintain law and order during the voting. The Election Commission said that the results are expected from the morning of January 8. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cast her vote at the Dhaka City College polling station soon after the polling began. During this time his daughter Saima Wajid was also with him.
Sheikh Hasina towards return to power
Sheikh Hasina has been in power since 2009 and her party Awami League also won the last election in December 2018. In this one-sided election, it is considered certain that he will return to power for the fourth consecutive time and fifth time overall. After casting her vote, Hasina told reporters, “Voting is going on smoothly in the country. I hope everyone will come to vote and use their franchise. Maintain democratic flow in the country and work for the socio-economic development of the people.” He alleged that the opposition BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami alliance does not believe in democracy. He said, “People will vote as per their wish and we were able to create an atmosphere of voting. “However, the BNP-Jamaat alliance carried out several incidents including arson.”
Responding to a question, Hasina told reporters that India is a “trusted friend” of Bangladesh. He said, “We are very fortunate… India is our trusted friend. During the Liberation War (1971), he not only supported us after 1975 when we lost our entire family – father, mother, brother, everyone (in the military coup) and only two of us (Hasina and her younger sister Rihana ) were left…they also gave us shelter. So we wish the people of India all the best.”
Military officers assassinated Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his wife and his three sons in their home in August 1975. His daughters Haseena and Rihanna survived the attack because they were abroad. When asked how acceptable this election is because of BNP’s boycott, the Prime Minister said that his responsibility is towards the people. He said, “What is important for me is whether people accept this election or not. So I don’t care about their (foreign media) acceptance. It doesn’t matter what the terrorist group says or doesn’t say.”
Elections were boycotted in 2014 also
The BNP had boycotted the 2014 elections but participated in the 2018 elections. Prime Minister Hasina’s ruling Awami League is expected to win for the fourth consecutive time as former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s (78) party BNP has boycotted the elections.
Khaleda is under house arrest after being convicted on corruption charges. The opposition Jatiya Party is also included among the 27 political parties contesting the elections in the country. The rest are members of the ruling Awami League-led coalition, which experts have described as constituents of the “electoral group”.
The main opposition party has called for a 48-hour nationwide general strike from 6 am on January 6 to 6 am on January 8, boycotting the elections.
The party claims that no election will be fair and credible under the current government. Announcing the strike, BNP spokesperson Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said its objective was “to demand the resignation of this illegal government, the formation of a neutral government and the release of all party leaders and workers from jail.”
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Sunday said the BNP did not participate in the parliamentary elections because it knew it would lose. The ‘Dhaka Tribune’ newspaper quoted Khan, a senior leader of the ruling Awami League, as saying in a report, “The BNP has adopted the strategy of boycotting the elections with various demands. “It participated in the 2018 elections and won some parliamentary seats, but it boycotted the elections because it knew it would lose.”
In view of the elections, Hasina’s government has arrested thousands of opposition leaders and supporters. Human rights groups condemned the move as an attempt to paralyze the opposition.
15 other political parties in the country are also boycotting the elections. ‘The Daily Star’ newspaper quoted Mohammad Munir Hasan, a resident of Dhanmondi, as saying, “What is the use of going to polling stations when the election is merely between two groups of the same party. We all know that in the end the Awami League will win this race.” At least 14 polling stations in Bangladesh were set on fire on Saturday, including one on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka.
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