Bangladeshis are voting today in the general elections that are expected to be won by Awami League, returning Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to power. The voting takes place amid an election boycott by the main Opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
Voting began at 8am local time and will continue till 5pm. A total of 119.6 million registered voters are eligible to vote in the January 7, 2023, elections. The votes are being cast at 42,000 polling stations, according to the country’s Election Commission.
The Election Commission said that it expected the vote results to start coming in from early tomorrow (January 8).
All the Bangladesh national poll numbers
- Out of the 300 constituencies, 299 have gone to polls today. Election to the one remaining seat will be held later, following the death of a candidate.
- More than 1,500 candidates from 27 political parties are contesting in the general elections, besides 436 independent candidates.
- Over 100 foreign observers, including three from India, are monitoring the 12th general election, which is being held under tight security.
- More than 750,000 — three-quarters of a million — members of law enforcement agencies and security forces have been deployed for the polls.
Straight fourth win for Sheikh Hasina
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cast her vote at Dhaka City College polling centre at 8.03am local time. Her daughter Saima Wazed accompanied her.
Hasina, 76, has been in power since 2009 and her Awami League won the last election in December 2018. The BNP had boycotted the 2014 election but joined the one in 2018.
She is the daughter of “Bangabandhu (Friend of Bengal)” Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leader of the revolution that turned East Pakistan into liberated Bangladesh in 1971. This liberation was achieved through the supportive military intervention of India, then led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Sheikh Hasina’s ruling Awami League is expected to win for a straight fourth time. Meanwhile, Zia, 78, remains under house arrest as a convict of graft charges.
The 27 political parties that are contesting the elections include the opposition Jatiya Party (JAPA). The rest are members of the ruling Awami League-led coalition, which experts dub “satellite parties”.
BNP has been calling countrywide strikes
The BNP is observing a 48-hour nationwide general strike, which began at 6am on January 6 and will end at 6am on January 8. It has called upon Bangladesh voters to shun the election to mark the beginning of the end of what it calls a “fascist government”.
As part of its vote boycott campaign, the BNP has been calling countrywide general strikes. It has enforced intermittent transport blockades and strikes for the past three months. The party has been claiming that no election under the incumbent Awami League government would be fair and credible.
BNP spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that the strikes were aimed at pressing for their demands for “resignation of the illegal government, establishment of a non-party neutral government and release of all party leaders and activists from prison”.
Ahead of the elections, Sheikh Hasina’s government arrested tens of thousands of rival politicians and supporters, a move that rights groups have criticised as an attempt to paralyse the Opposition.
Fifteen other political parties are also boycotting the election that is being watched globally.
The boycott as well as fear of violence can keep a large number of voters away from the poll booths.
“What’s the point of going to the polling centres when the election is nothing but a battle between two groups of the same party? We all know Awami League will win the race at the end of the day,” said Md Monir Hassan, a resident of Dhanmondi, in an interview with The Daily Star newspaper.
Fear of Bangladesh poll violence after widespread arson
There is also the fear of common people getting caught in election violence. A day before the voting, at least 14 polling stations in Bangladesh were set on fire, including one on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka.
On Friday night, at least four people were killed and many were injured as arsonists set a running train on fire in Dhaka. Overall, nine people have lost their lives in eight incidents of arson on trains since November 16.
Additionally, at least five people have been killed in clashes and attacks on rival rallies since the official start of the election campaigns on December 18.
Awami League urges people to vote without fear
The ruling party has formed dedicated teams across Bangladesh to bring as many voters as possible to the polling centres. It wants to ensure a high turnout in its efforts to garner international support.
“Come to the polling centres without fear and cast your vote to exercise your constitutional rights. Don’t bow down to any intervention and intimidation,” said Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader at a press conference yesterday.
“I will ask them (people) to come (and vote) as it is a beautiful day. It is a winter morning, and everybody is excited and eagerly waiting (to cast their votes),” said Bangladeshi actor and Awami League leader Firdous Ahmed.