Voting for general elections in Bangladesh will be held on Sunday, Hasina’s return to power is almost certain

Bangladesh will vote on Sunday in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to win for the fourth consecutive time due to the absence of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Opposition party BNP has boycotted the elections and called for a 48-hour nationwide strike against the “illegal government”. According to the country’s Election Commission, a total of 11.96 crore registered voters will exercise their franchise in the voting to be held on Sunday 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.

This election is being conducted amidst tight security. The Election Commission said it expected the results from the morning of January 8. Prime Minister Hasina’s ruling Awami League is expected to win for the fourth consecutive time as the party of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, 78, boycotted the election. Khaleda is under house arrest after being convicted on corruption charges. Hasina, 76, in a nationally televised address this week urged pro-democracy and law-abiding parties not to give air to ideas that “hinder” the country’s constitutional process. BNP has called for a 48-hour nationwide strike from Saturday. The opposition Jatiya Party is also included among the 27 political parties contesting the elections.

The rest are members of the ruling Awami League-led coalition, which experts have described as constituents of the “electoral bloc”. BNP 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” 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. Prime Minister Hasina said that Awami League, if voted to power, will ensure economic and social development of the people of the country. Authorities deployed military troops across the country two days in advance to “assist civil administration” in maintaining peace and order during the voting. Despite tight security arrangements, unidentified persons set fire to vacant polling stations in four of the 64 administrative districts, while BNP workers clashed with police in another district, leaving five people injured on Friday. At least four people were killed in a fire incident on a passenger train near Dhaka on Friday night.

BNP has demanded a UN-monitored investigation into the incident. Hasina has been in power since 2009 and won the last election in December 2019 that was marred by deadly violence and allegations of election rigging. The BNP had also boycotted the elections in 2014 but took part in the 2019 elections, which party leaders called a mistake and alleged massive rigging in the elections. Bangladesh’s economy declined sharply due to rising import prices of fuel and food after the Russia-Ukraine war, forcing Bangladesh to turn to the International Monetary Fund for a $4.7 billion relief package last year. Many fear that the economic situation will worsen due to Hasina winning for the fourth consecutive time.

Disclaimer: IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.

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