Upcoming polls a litmus test for Bangladesh democracy

Staff Reporter :
The joint US Pre-Election Assessment Mission (PEAM) has stated that the upcoming parliamentary election in Bangladesh is going to be a litmus test of the country’s commitment to a democratic, participatory and competitive political process.

In their assessment, the mission found the primary problem was lack of constructive engagement among key political actors and the best way to end the stalemate is through good faith dialogue.

They also said that the current political environment presents several challenges to electoral integrity, including uncompromising and zero-sum politics, highly charged rhetoric, political violence, a widespread climate of uncertainty and fear, contracting civic space and freedom of expression, and a trust deficit among citizens, political leaders, and other stakeholders.

Women, youth, and other marginalised groups also face significant barriers to participation. Bangladesh is at a crossroads and the upcoming elections provide a litmus test of the country’s commitment to a democratic, participatory, and competitive political process.

Against such situation, PEAM, comprising of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), in a joint statement on Sunday stated five recommendations as a roadmap for progress toward credible, inclusive, participatory, and nonviolent
elections that can advance Bangladesh’s democracy.

The recommendations are : Moderate rhetoric and engage in open and substantive dialogue on key election issues; Protect freedom of expression and ensure an open civic space where dissent is respected; Commit to nonviolence and hold perpetrators of political violence accountable; and Create conditions to allow all parties to engage in meaningful political competition, including bolstering independent election management.

To develop these recommendations, the delegation met with government officials; the Bangladesh Election Commission; party leaders from across the political spectrum; civil society representatives; current and former women members of parliament; representatives of organisations engaging with youth, persons with disabilities and religious minorities; media representatives; members of the legal community; and representatives of the international and diplomatic communities.

“We appreciate all those who shared their views freely about the challenges and opportunities that exist in Bangladesh for holding inclusive, participatory, and nonviolent elections,” said Bonnie Glick.

“We came away from these conversations with concerns about the election environment, but hopeful that our recommendations can help to improve the process,” she said.

“We feel the primary problem is lack of constructive engagement among key political actors,” said Karl Inderfurth.

“The best way to end the stalemate is through good faith dialogue, in the run-up to the January 2024 elections and beyond,” he said.

The delegation recognises that it is the people of Bangladesh who will ultimately determine the credibility and legitimacy of their elections and their country’s democratic development.

The delegation therefore offers this pre-election statement in the spirit of supporting and strengthening democratic institutions in Bangladesh.

The mission said that Bangladesh’s robust economic growth and strong tradition of democratic values have set a strong foundation for the country to achieve its 2041 vision of becoming a developed country.

From October 8 to 11, 2023, IRI and NDI deployed a bipartisan, international delegation to provide an independent and impartial assessment of electoral preparations in advance of Bangladesh’s upcoming 12th Parliamentary Elections; examine factors that could affect the integrity and viability of the electoral process.

Members of the joint delegation included Bonnie Glick (IRI Co-Chair), Former Deputy USAID Administrator; Karl F. Inderfurth (NDI Co-Chair), Former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs; Maria Chin Abdullah, Former Member of the House of Representatives, Malaysia; Jamil Jaffer, Former Associate Counsel to the President of the United States; Johanna Kao, IRI Senior Director, Asia-Pacific Division; and Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI Regional Director, Asia-Pacific. The delegates were joined by technical and country experts from NDI and IRI.
This was the second pre-election mission in Bangladesh from the US while the previous team from the European Union presented such a report that the EU declined to send their observers.

Now it is time to see whether the US election observers will arrive in Bangladesh following the assessment and recommendations of the IRI and the NDI.

The US mission has primarily recommended for constructive dialogue, but it is still not being seen.

The opposition BNP said that they can only hold talks on the introduction of a caretaker government, while the ruling Awami League declined to talk on this issue till now.

On the other hand, Bangladesh is going to hold a parliamentary election amid the US imposed visa restrictions which will be applied for the individuals who would undermine the democratic process to hold a free and fair election.