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Bangladesh Coalition of Opposition Parties Vows to Boycott Upcoming Elections, Citing the Need for Electoral Reform
January 5, 2007
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The International Herald Tribune reports that the upcoming general election on January 22nd in Bangladesh will occur as planned, according to the country’s national Election Committee. This announcement comes despite a pledge to boycott the vote by a coalition of 19 opposition parties, who claim that the elections cannot be free and fair in the current political environment.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed of the Awami League (AL) party has led the opposition that has campaigned for electoral reform and the removal of the interim government. They accuse the interim “care taker” government, which is designed to keep the peace between elections, of being biased towards the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who ruled the country for five years after winning the 2001 election. According The Economist, Wajed’s coalition also accuses the Electoral Commission “of attempting to rig the election in the BNP’s favour.” Wajed led a protest against the elections on January 5th that consisted of around 5,000 demonstrators.
The Electoral Commission has said that the elections “will be held on schedule,” according to the International Herald Tribune. The Economist reports that the Electoral Commission has cited the Constitution in it’s refusal to delay the elections, claiming “that a general election must be held 90 days after the end of the term of a previous government.” The credibility of the Electoral Commission has been an issue in the past, as their revisions in election laws were “declared null and void by the high court.”
According to the International Herald Tribune “many Bangladeshi’s are upset about the standoff over elections.” Some Bangladeshi’s believe boycotting the elections would “render the elections meaningless” and continue economic and political instability. The political turmoil in Bangladesh has resulted in the killings of two presidents and multiple military coups since democracy was reinstated in 1991.
References:
International Herald Tribune: Bangladesh to hold this month month's general elections despite boycott
The Economist (UK): Messy Bangladesh
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