Violence Spirals in Bangladesh as the General Election Looms

As extreme weather batters the coast of Britain the exhausted people of Bangladesh face another day of violence. No, it is not terrorist organisations (well these ones are technically democratic parties) unleashing a swath of violence but the general election tomorrow. This should be when the one hundred and fifty million people of Bangladesh celebrate their right to vote, coming together to decide the future of their country but instead it is marred by a 48-hour ‘hartal’ (closure of shops and offices) in addition to national blockades on vital infrastructure.  Allegedly this will help to ‘win the right of the people to vote’ but rather it seems the whole country is under lock and key.

Fighting increase in the streets of Dhaka

For two women, Prime Minister Hasina and the former Prime Minister Khalenda Zia, this is a power struggle. Since uniting to throw off the dictatorial rule of Hussein Mohammed Ershad in 1990, they have been determined to instigate democracy, secure rights and to advocate democracy. So why is there such violence? Why did Hasina refuse to allow a caretaker government to take over as the polls were contested?

Understanding their intentions is difficult at the moment as campaigning laws mean that news channels and foreign reporters are unable to talk to government officials and opposition leaders… freedom of press is certainly embodied in this one? Tricky.

So, let us introduce our political adversaries to the ring.

The Parties

The Bangladesh Awami League, the current ruling party, stylises itself as the leading ‘pro-liberation’ force based on nationalism and a celebration of Bengali culture. In the Nielsen two year survey, fifty percent felt the country was moving in the right direction and thirty six percent gave it a favourable rating. It led the nationalist struggle against Pakistan.

The BAL election symbol

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the largest opposition party, is not that divergent from the Awani League. It combines nationalist, liberal and left-wing elements which are opposed to the ruling party. It has been involved in major liberalisation of Bangladesh but has been part of a controversial Four Party Alliance with two hard-line Islamist parties, Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Oikya Jote.

The BNP election symbol

They are rather similar parties, with the BNP representing a more Islamic take on politics. However, often arguments between these two women have caused difficulties. At the last election Zia stopped her party from sitting in parliament over the seating arrangements. Right? Now tell us the real reason.

Caretaker Governments

These governments taking over whilst elections occur is the norm in Bangladesh. Hasina decided it was time that this law was revoked.

Though many cite the refusal to let a caretaker government take over as undemocratic I can see why Hasina changed the rules.

You only need to look back at the impact of the last election to realise that in 2007 the caretaker government was weak, perceived as unable to resist a takeover by the BNP, and eventually it declared a state of emergency following the Awami withdrawal from the election. It enabled the military to have influence in the political sphere which is against democratic values.

Likewise, special protection for the Awami and BNP was removed by the caretaker government.

Unrest leads to a heavy handed response from the police.

Parties withdrawing from general elections is clearly a common occurrence in Bangladeshi politics and not simply because a caretaker government was not implemented. Furthermore, caretaker governments are not elected in the United Kingdom during elections though our elections do have less of a chance of being fixed (maybe that was a bit naïve, gerrymandering would certainly count). Yes, the argument that the election could be manipulated by the Awami party is topical and we have witnessed it in other states in similar positions. Yet, we will never know as the BNP have boycotted the election.

Most of Bangladesh would like to see a competitive election and an end to this infighting.

Why Violence?

Violence in Bangladesh has grown out of a secular vs religious conflict as the BNP continues to further align itself with more extreme Islamic parties.

This is a trend that is common across the world at the moment. A battle of the religions.

The issue is that the more extreme parties under the BNP have never won an election so feel that violence is the only course of action to win recognition. For the government to give into these demands and give power to these groups legitimises this channel of expression and encourages others to resort to violence. Therefore, as scores of opposition supporters die in police shooting and commuters have been burnt to death by protestors in strike-defying buses, there seems little hope for a peaceful election.

The Future

Following my research in democratisation I do not put much hope in elections unless they imbed themselves into a truly competitive, free, fair and regular atmosphere.  In fact we see issues with our own political system all the time, the expenses scandal and gerrymandering are a prime example. But, I do believe that this election should have been able to run its course with both parties involved. This is not an authoritarian regime hoping to cement its control by allowing a little more freedom but two women striving for democracy. I fear that their struggle may impede its progression.

Keep an eye on the elections tomorrow despite the flooding at home because the next month of Bangladeshi politics promises to be interesting.