Sheikh Hasina wins historic third term as Bangladesh opposition rejects poll result
Growth is important, but it should not come at the expense of liberty and democracy
Bangladesh’s opposition alliance said yesterday it rejected the results of the country’s general election, claiming it was rigged and demanding another vote.
The election was won by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling Awami League, which easily gained the 151 seats required to form a government, according to Channel 24, which was compiling results from around the country.
The vote has been marred by violence that killed 14 people amid claims of vote rigging, It has installed a leader criticised for increasingly authoritarian tendencies in what will be her third term.
“We reject the results and demand a new election under a neutral government,” said Kamal Hossain, an octogenarian international jurist who leads the opposition alliance.
Violence and bitter rivalry that marred the election campaign spilled over into voting day, even as authorities imposed tight security with 600,000 troops, police and other security forces spread across the country.
Ten people were killed in clashes between supporters of the Awami League and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, police said.
Three men were shot by police who said they were protecting polling booths, while an auxiliary police officer was killed by armed opposition activists, according to officials.
Voting began at 8am that was always expected to deliver a historic fourth victory for Ms Hasina.
Bangladesh’s leader has been lauded for boosting economic growth in the poor Asian nation during an unbroken decade in power and for welcoming Rohingya refugees fleeing a military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar.
But critics accuse Ms Hasina of growing authoritarianism and crippling the opposition in a bid to cling to power.
Her arch-rival Khaleda Zia is serving 17 years in jail on corruption charges that she claimed were politically motivated.
The BNP-led alliance later accused Ms Hasina’s party of using stuffed ballot boxes to fix the result.
BNP spokesman Syed Alal said there were “irregularities” in 221 of the 300 seats. Its ally Jamaat-e-Islami also said it would reject the results.
“Voters are not allowed to enter booths. Especially women voters are being forced to vote for the boat,” Mr Alal said, referring to the Awami League symbol.
Authorities had also ordered the country’s mobile operators to shut down 3G and 4G services until midnight “to prevent the spread of rumours” that could trigger unrest.
One independent television news channel said that its broadcasts were blocked.
But voting in the capital Dhaka was largely peaceful as convoys of soldiers and paramilitary forces were on the streets.
The opposition said the unrest was stirred up to deter voters, and presiding officers reported a low turnout across the country.
The alliance claims more than 15,000 of its activists have been detained, crushing its ability to mobilise its grassroots support.
Human Rights Watch and other international groups have criticised the crackdown, saying it has created a climate of fear that could prevent supporters of opposition parties from casting their ballots.
Dynasties are a fixture of south Asian politics. From the Sharifs and the Bhuttos in Pakistan to the Gandhis in India, families have steered national politics in the region for decades. Bangladesh, whose 160-million-strong population headed to the polls yesterday, is no different. This election is, in effect, a referendum on the decade-long tenure of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of assassinated president and liberation hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Her main opponent, Khaleda Zia, a former leader herself and the wife of another, currently languishes in jail on what she deems politically motivated charges. There were simultaneous elections yesterday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Two years late, owing to the refusal of Joseph Kabila, himself the son of a president, to step down, they also prove that with dynasties comes a distaste for relinquishing power.
Since achieving independence in 1971, military dictatorship, assassinations and coups have been the norm in Bangladesh. This time, many observers and activists fear the elections will not be fair, while Human Rights Watch has identified a campaign of intimidation by Ms Hasina’s Awami League party. Before the vote some 8,200 opposition candidates, members and supporters were arrested, 600,000 troops were deployed, 3G and 4G networks were dismantled, and this month the electoral commission briefly barred nearly 300 opposition candidates from running, before reversing its decision. Meanwhile, at least 15 were killed in election day violence and reports of ballot stuffing emerged yesterday before a single vote had been cast All the ingredients for a crooked election are there.
After a decade of Awami League rule, Bangladeshis have plenty to cheer. Economic growth has exceeded that of Pakistan and India, with an average of 6.3 per cent annually, spurred by a booming garments industry. Meanwhile, progress has been made on key development indicators, including child mortality and school attendance. Ms Hasina was rightly praised, also, for accommodating 700,000 Rohingya refugees fleeing in neighbouring Myanmar. But, against the backdrop of rampant corruption and political violence, the prime minister has grown increasingly authoritarian. Today, she wears the badge proudly, convinced that human rights and democracy are fringe concerns. Faced with a host of challenges, not least the threat of devastating climate change, Bangladeshis need not only growth, but stability and a say in their own future. With the eyes of the world on Dhaka, this election is a critical test.