DHAKA (Reuters) – Campaign flyers featuring general election candidates, particularly from the ruling party, adorn utility poles across Bangladesh, signaling an impending fourth consecutive term for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina due to the opposition’s boycott.
Rights groups have cautioned that Bangladesh, with a population of 170 million, could be veering towards virtual one-party rule following the boycott by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). However, Western nations, crucial clients of its garments industry, have called for free elections.
In Dhaka, the capital, slogans painted in red and blue urge voters to choose “Once again, Sheikh Hasina” and “Vote for the boat”, the symbol of her Awami League party. The conclusion of campaigning is expected on Friday.
With the outcome of the ballot essentially a foregone conclusion, some voters see little incentive to participate. “My whole family are hardcore Awami League supporters,” said school teacher Shayed Uz Zaman. “But there’s no charm in voting this time. I know she is staying in power.”
Sunday, the day of the vote, is usually a working day in mainly Muslim Bangladesh. “But there’s no charm in voting this time. I know she is staying in power,” said school teacher Shayed Uz Zaman.
Another Awami League supporter, Minoti Rosario, who runs a grocery shop, feels that her vote barely makes a difference as the ruling party is expected to win regardless.
The 12th general election in the South Asian nation, which gained independence from Pakistan in 1971, is likely to have 120 million registered voters selecting 300 members of parliament. This is amongst the largest such exercises globally this year. Nearly half of the voters are women, and about 15 million are voting for the first time.
The BNP chose not to participate after Hasina rejected its demand for a caretaker government to oversee the poll. Troops and nearly 750,000 police officers, paramilitary, and police auxiliaries have been deployed to secure the polls, with a significant increase in arrests of BNP leaders and workers following deadly protests in late October.
The International Crisis Group, an independent think tank, has stated that the risk of political violence is high, despite low expectations for voter turnout. According to Pierre Prakash, the group’s Asia director, “The election will not resolve Bangladesh’s political crisis. Since the 2008 election that brought the Awami League to power, the country has not held a credible national election.”
During her last 15 years in power, Hasina, 76, has been commended for revitalizing the economy and the garments industry. However, her critics have accused her of authoritarianism, human rights violations, restrictions on free speech, and suppression of dissent. Some of her critics have been incarcerated.
Her main rival and two-time premier, BNP leader Khaleda Zia, is effectively under house arrest on graft charges that the opposition claims are fabricated. The acting chairman of the party, Khaleda’s son Tarique Rahman, is in exile after denying multiple charges brought against him.
The economy has also considerably slowed since the Russia-Ukraine war increased prices of fuel and food imports, prompting Bangladesh to seek a $4.7 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund last year.
(Additional reporting by Sam Jahan; Writing by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
