[At least 17 people died in election-related violence across the country, according to the police, though that was less than in previous voting. But if the opposition were to take to the streets, many fear that deadlier clashes would break out given Bangladesh’s history of political violence.]
By Julfikar Ali Manik and Maria Abi-Habib
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General
election results dominated the news headlines in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on
Monday. Credit
Indranil Mukherjee/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
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DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh’s governing party won handily in
Sunday’s parliamentary elections, clinching a third consecutive term for Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina even as widespread reports of irregularities, voter
intimidation and violence cast the voting into question.
Mrs. Hasina’s party,
the Awami League, and its allies officially won 288 of the 298 parliamentary
seats that have been called by the Election Commission, with a total of 300
seats up for grabs.
But the opposition
swiftly rejected the results, accusing the governing party of tampering with
votes and calling for a fresh election. Mrs. Hasina, 71, is the first leader in
Bangladesh’s history to win three consecutive terms, but she has increasingly
been accused of autocratic behavior.
The opposition leader
Kamal Hossain lambasted the “farcical election” on Sunday night as the results
streamed in. The Election Commission said it was looking into reports of
irregularities.
“News of vote
robberies have come from almost all constituencies,” Mr. Hossain told
journalists Sunday night. “We reject the announced result of this election.”
Reporters from the
prominent Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star said they witnessed ballot
stuffing and voter intimidation across the country.
At least 17 people
died in election-related violence across the country, according to the police,
though that was less than in previous voting. But if the opposition were to
take to the streets, many fear that deadlier clashes would break out given
Bangladesh’s history of political violence.
In past elections,
the Awami League and the largest opposition group, the Bangladesh Nationalist
Party, carried out brutal campaigns to suppress each others’ voters. The
country has vacillated between the two parties’ rule since democracy was
restored in 1991 when a series of military dictatorships came to an end.
Ahead of this
election, local and international rights organizations accused the governing
party of creating an intimidating atmosphere by arresting and harassing
opposition candidates and preventing them from campaigning. A Human Rights
Watch report earlier this month described the pre-election atmosphere as “a climate
of fear extending from prominent voices in society to ordinary citizens.”
Mrs. Hasina brushed
off those accusations ahead of the polls. And the Awami League praised the
election when polling stations closed on Sunday.
“This election has
proved that a free, fair and neutral election is possible under a partisan
government,” said H.T. Imam, an adviser to Mrs. Hasina.
Mrs. Hasina has been
credited with fostering economic and social development that has lifted
Bangladesh from one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world
to one that outperforms neighbors like India and Pakistan in some development
measures, including gender equality and economic growth.
During nearly 10
years of Mr. Hasina’s governance, per capita income has increased by nearly 150
percent, while the share of the population living in extreme poverty has shrunk
to about 9 percent from 19 percent, according to the World Bank.
But under Mrs.
Hasina, the government has also become increasingly heavy-handed about dissent.
The police have continued to arrest critics without warrants and have detained
citizens who disparage her government in Facebook posts or in media interviews.
Allies of Mrs.
Hasina, including the opposition leader Mr. Hossain, split with the premier to
oppose her in the election, denouncing what they described as her authoritarian
tendencies that they warned would harden should she win a third term.
The opposition pitted
the polls as Bangladesh’s last chance to salvage democracy, claiming that the
governing party was sacrificing citizens’ personal freedoms and liberties in
exchange for economic growth. Although the Bangladesh Nationalist Party had a
poor human rights track record when in power, they vowed that they would change
their ways, and made delivering good governance a centerpiece of their
campaign.
At the very least,
democracy advocates critical of both the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the
Awami League had hoped that the opposition would perform better in Sunday’s
elections to provide a strong check to Mrs. Hasina’s third term. But the
opposition only managed to win seven seats in parliament.
The prime minister
rejected her critics in an interview in December with The New York Times,
claiming that only urban elites were concerned about the right to criticize her
government freely or assemble for protests. She went on to say that the
opposition was pursuing an anti-government agenda and inciting violence.
“If I can provide
food, jobs and health care, that is human rights,” Mrs. Hasina said. “I know my
country, and I know how to develop my country. My biggest challenge is that no
one is left behind.”
Julfikar Ali Manik
reported from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Maria Abi-Habib from Goa, India.
