Election integrity is a top priority item of US President Joe Biden’s foreign policy objectives. Other goals are democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and combating corruption and authoritarianism. It is well known that the administration of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, in power since 2009, is a gross defaulter in all these areas and much more. In the past two national and thousands of local level elections, the regime failed to display a minimum semblance of fairness. They were massively manipulated and rigged to ensure victory for the ruling party candidates, earning her the title “unelected and illegal Prime Minister.”
For the coming election in Bangladesh, the US has been insisting that it should be free, fair, and participatory with freedom of political activities which conform to international standards.
The Coalition for Human Rights & Democracy in Bangladesh (CHRD Bangladesh) has repeatedly insisted that the Hasina administration is incapable of holding a free and fair election and that it must be held under a neutral, non-partisan caretaker government (CTG).
As the crucial national election is due in a few months, the Hasina regime is trying everything possible to manipulate and gear up the governing system with a view to holding another farcical election to continue in her illegal hold to authority for a straight fourth term of five years each. If she succeeds, that will be the cruelest nail on the virtual coffin of Bangladesh.
Prior to the election, the ruling regime may discuss in parliament (an illegal, unelected one) and possibly pass bills which give the illusion of a democracy but are purely cosmetic. These are façades to display to the international community that there are actually democratic debates going on about these issues.
The reality of Bangladesh is that there is absolutely no democracy, no human rights, and no freedom of expression. Journalists, members of the opposition and the public or anyone who does not toe the regime’s line to whitewash or ignore its gross human rights violations, heightened corruption and massive past election frauds will find themselves arrested, tortured, jailed, disappeared, or even eliminated. Examples are galore.
Unfortunately, the Representation of People Ordinance (Amendment), Act 2023) or any other discussions brought forward by the ruling Awami League are merely theatrics, just to fool the people at home and abroad. The regime has no intentions of conducting a participatory, free, and fair election and absolutely no desire of ever leaving the seat of power.
In that regard, the only way forward is a neutral caretaker government without any involvement of the ruling regime.
Under the circumstances, CHRD Bangladesh believes that the regime, the opposition, the people, as well as the international community that cares for Bangladesh, should discuss nothing but a neutral election-time Caretaker government.