As standoff deepens, Bangladesh election body says ‘fully prepared’ for free polls

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh is at least six months out from its next general elections, but the vote is already dominating political discourse in the country.

At the core of it lies the issue of a caretaker government. Opposition forces, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), are adamant on having one, saying it is imperative for free and fair elections.

The past two elections in the country – 2014 and 2018 – have been held without a caretaker administration, and the opposition alleges they were rife with fraud and irregularities.

The ruling Awami League and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration, however, show no signs of giving in, asserting that all polls held under their supervision have been just as transparent.

With the battle lines drawn, all eyes are on the Bangladesh Election Commission (EC), the independent constitutional body actually responsible for what will be a massive democratic exercise in a country of some 170 million people.

According to Ahsan Habib Khan, a retired brigadier general now serving as one of the EC’s four election commissioners, the authority is “fully prepared” to hold “free, fair, and inclusive” elections “without any influence from any quarter.”

“As a constitutional body, the EC is completely independent and unaffected from any kind of outside pressure,” he told Anadolu in an exclusive email interview.

“We have already conducted several by-elections and local government elections which were acceptable to all.”

Acknowledging “unexpected irregularities” in past elections, he said “appropriate actions were taken as per law,” referring specifically to the by-election in the northern Gaibandha constituency that was suspended by the EC.

The authority also conducted a probe and recommended punishments for more than 130 officials found guilty of negligence and involvement in irregularities.

The EC “is also self-assured enough to conduct the election impartially,” said Khan.

Regarding the upcoming polls, slated for this December or next January, he said the commission is “sincerely preparing for holding a free, transparent, credible and inclusive parliamentary election.”

“The existing commission will give its best efforts to conduct impartial, legitimate, free, and fair national elections for all parties involved, including voters, candidates, and observers,” he said.

“We’ll proceed by scrupulously adhering to the electoral laws.”

- International pressure

The issue of Bangladesh’s elections has also been echoing beyond its borders.

Just last week, the US unveiled a raft of measures it said were aimed at supporting the country’s goal of conducting free and fair elections.

“Under this policy, the United States will be able to restrict the issuance of visas for any Bangladeshi individual, believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on May 24.

“This includes current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of pro-government and opposition political parties, and members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and security services.”

The US decision has caused ripples in Bangladesh, with speakers at a seminar in the capital Dhaka this week terming it the “father of all sanctions.”

A week before the US announced the new policy, six American Congressmen reportedly sent a letter to President Joe Biden detailing alleged human rights violations by Prime Minister Hasina’s government, particularly against the country’s Hindu and Christian minorities.

Bangladesh has vehemently denied the charges and the contents of the letter.

At an event in Dhaka on Wednesday, Md. Shahriar Alam, the state minister for foreign affairs, said it was part of the opposition BNP’s “conspiracy to derail the Awami League government.”

He said such accusations from the BNP are nothing new, referring to past statements by the party’s chief and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

With the US ambassador seated among the audience, Alam said the government was not bothered by the claims, vowing that no foreign power could ever remove Hasina from power.