The opposition in Bangladesh, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is currently engaged in large-scale protests demand the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. The BNP insists that Prime Minister Hasina step down and the next election, scheduled for January 2024, be held under a neutral caretaker government. They argue that holding free and fair elections is not possible under the current administration, reported Aljazeera.
During a recent rally, BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said “having any fair election under this government is not possible”.
Alamgir told supporters, “Price hikes of every essential have made people’s lives miserable.”
The BNP accused the ruling Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, of vote rigging in the 2014 and 2018 elections, which has led to heightened distrust and discontent among the opposition.
Challenges and Accusations against Prime Minister Hasina
The political crisis in Bangladesh deepened due to a series of challenges and accusations against Prime Minister Hasina and her Awami League party. Critics have accused her government of authoritarianism, human rights abuses, and curbing free speech and dissent. The security forces, particularly the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), have been accused of detaining thousands of opposition activists, resorting to extrajudicial killings, and causing the disappearance of numerous opposition leaders and supporters.
The alleged human rights abuses have led to sanctions against the RAB and its senior officers by the United States in 2021. The situation garnered international concern, with Amnesty International expressed “alarm” over the escalating tensions and calling for freedom of protest and dissent.
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After the clashes in Bangladesh’s capital on July 29, police filed 11 cases against Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders and activists at different police stations over the violence. At least 469 BNP members were named as accused, with 149 arrests made so far. The cases include allegations of unlawful assembly, attacking police, hurling crude bombs, and vandalising public and police vehicles, reported ANI.
Government’s rejection of demands
Despite the mounting pressure and demands from the opposition and international community, the government of Prime Minister Hasina rejected the call for a neutral caretaker government, citing its unconstitutionality.
In 2011, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court struck down a 15-year-old constitutional provision that allowed an incumbent government to transfer power to an unelected non-partisan caretaker administration for overseeing new parliamentary elections.
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International community’s response
The international community, particularly the United States, urged the Bangladeshi government to conduct free and participatory elections, expressing concerns about the allegations of vote rigging in the past national elections. 14 US congress people earlier this week wrote to the US ambassador to the UN, urging a fair election in Bangladesh under the mediation of the UN and neutral parties, reported Aljazeera.
However, Bangladeshi government accused the US and its Western allies of interfering in the country’s internal affairs.
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Updated: 31 Jul 2023, 02:24 PM IST
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