Condemning violence in Bangladesh, the United Nations has urged all sides to show restraint and ensure a peaceful post electoral environment in the country.

The USA and the European Union have also denounced violence over the just concluded parliamentary elections, and called for addressing all electoral complaints in a peaceful manner.

Welcoming the participation of all major political parties in the general election for the first time in 10 years, they said it was a positive development which reflected aspirations of people for democracy.

The spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement on Monday said, “The United Nations is aware of violent incidents and reports of irregularities in the Bangladesh general election.”

The UN regretted the loss of life and injuries sustained by candidates and voters during the electoral campaign and on the voting day, it said.

US STATEMENT

The US in a statement yesterday commended the Bangladeshis who voted in the election as well as the decision of all major opposition parties to participate.

“The United States remains deeply invested in the future of Bangladesh and its democratic development. The United States is Bangladesh's largest foreign investor, largest single-country market for Bangladeshi exports, and home to a large community of Americans of Bangladeshi origin,” said Robert Palladino, deputy spokesperson of the US state department.

However, it expressed concern over reports of harassment, intimidation, and violence in the pre-election period saying that those incidents made it difficult for many opposition candidates and their supporters to meet, hold rallies, and campaign freely. “We are also concerned that election-day irregularities prevented some people from voting, which undermined faith in the electoral process.”

He said his country strongly encourages all parties to refrain from violence and request the EC to work constructively with all sides to address claims of irregularities.

“Bangladesh's impressive record of economic development and respect for democracy and human rights are mutually reinforcing, and we look forward to continue working with the ruling government and opposition towards advancing these interrelated goals,” reads the statement.

EU STATEMENT

The EU said the mobilisation of voters and the participation of the opposition in the polls reflected the people's aspirations for democracy.

“However, violence has marred the election day, and significant obstacles to a level playing field remained in place throughout the process and have tainted the electoral campaign and the vote,” an EU spokesperson said in a statement yesterday.

Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy of the EU, in his statement said the relevant authorities should now ensure a proper examination of allegations of irregularities and commit to full transparency in their resolution.

Terming the 11th national election “farcical”, Islami Andolon Bangladesh (IAB) yesterday rejected the polls result and demanded immediate re-election under a non-partisan government.

“We are rejecting the election result as the opinion of the masses was not reflected in the polls. We strongly demand holding an immediate re-election under a non-partisan government,” said IAB Ameer Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim.

Rezaul Karim raised the demand at a press conference held at the party's central office in the capital's Paltan area.

The Islami Andolon Bangladesh chief said they will launch a strong movement by creating national unity if the demand is not met. 

The party might unite with Jatiya Oikyafront for a united movement to press home their demands, the IAB chief added.

Rezaul Karim said if the media was allowed to work freely on the polls day, they would have been able to gather information of vote rigging in thousands of polling stations. 

“The nation did not experience such a farcical election in the last 47 years,” he added.

The Election Commission, police and the administration were also involved in the scheme to ensure victory of AL-led grand alliance across the country, he alleged.

Almost 82 percent of the lawmakers for the 11th parliament have assets worth more than Tk 1 crore, civil society platform Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) said in a report yesterday.

Of those MPs, 32 percent have assets worth more than Tk 5 crore, according to the report unveiled at the Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital.

According to finance ministry sources, only 0.06 percent of the total population of Bangladesh was valued at more than Tk 1 crore in 2016.     

“The wealthier candidates were elected,” Dilip Kumar Sarkar, Shujan's central coordinator, said while presenting the report.

In terms of income, 27 percent of the MPs have an income of over Tk 1 crore, 18 percent between Tk 50 lakh and 1 crore, 29 percent between Tk 25 lakh and 50 lakh and 17 percent between Tk 5 lakh and Tk 25 lakh.

Only five percent of the lawmakers had an income between Tk 2 and Tk 5 lakh while 1.34 percent of them had an income of less than Tk 2 lakh.

The report also mentioned that 1.34 percent of the MPs had not submitted their wealth statements in their affidavits.

It further showed that 61 percent of the next parliament is made up of businessmen and their number in the Jatiya Sangsad was increasing.

Additionally, 13 percent are lawyers, five percent servicemen, four percent farmers and the rest belonged to different professions.

It is a dangerous sign that the county's politics is going into the hands of businessmen and wealthy people, Shujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said at the programme.

Political analysts have said the major political parties' dependency on businessmen had effectively turned the politics into a business.

Lawyers, businessmen and farmers were the three most common occupations of the lawmakers elected to the country's first parliament in 1973.

Of the MPs in that parliament, 31 percent were lawyers and only 18 percent were businessmen.

However, in the fifth parliament, constituted through the election of 1991, businessmen outnumbered lawyers, with 38 percent being businessmen and 15 percent lawyers.

After the 2008 polls, 57 percent of the lawmakers elected were businessmen, which rose to 59 percent by 2014.

On a more positive note, Badiul Alam said it was a good sign that educated and taxpaying citizens were being elected as MPs.

The Shujan report shows that 43 percent of the new MPs hold post graduate degrees, 38 percent hold graduate degrees, 12 percent have passed the HSC exams and three percent were SSC graduates.

Only four percent did not pass the SSC exam.

It also said that seven percent of the lawmakers were now facing at least one case, while 45 percent had cases filed against them in the past.

The Jatiya Party does not want to sit on the opposition bench in parliament.

Its MPs, in a parliamentary party meeting yesterday, unanimously decided to be a part of the Awami League-led new government.

“Since we participated in the election under the banner of the Awami League-led grand alliance, we want to join the government. Who will sit on the opposition bench is not our concern," JP Co-chairman GM Quader told journalists after the meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

They sat for the meeting immediately after taking oath as members of the 11th parliament.

"We doubt if people will accept us as the opposition if we quit the grand alliance now to play the role of the opposition," Quader said, adding, "We don't want to sit on the opposition bench … This is a practical problem for us.”

During the election, the leaders and activists of the JP worked with AL men and they now want to work together with the ruling party for the country's development, he said.

"A delegation of the party [JP] will meet Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina to convey our decision to her. If she has any suggestions for us, we will discuss them in our party forum," Quader said.

At the meeting, he said, his party's lawmakers opined that they want to work with the leader of the grand alliance to take the country  forward.

The complication emerged due to the poor performance of the BNP-led alliance in the election, Quader said, adding, "We did not predict such a poor performance by the BNP.”

The way people voted indicated that they did not want to see the opposition in parliament, Quader claimed.

After the meeting, JP Secretary General Mashiur Rahman Ranga told reporters that people were happy with the government and they did not want a major opposition in parliament.

"We want to stay with the new government. However, grand alliance chief Sheikh Hasina will make the final decision in this regard. We will abide by her decision," Ranga said.

In the December 30 polls, the AL-led grand alliance secured 288 seats. JP, a key component of the alliance, bagged 22 seats. The BNP-led Jatiya Oikyafront managed to win only seven seats. Independent candidates won three.

Election in Gaibandha-3 was rescheduled for January 27 following the death of a candidate and re-polling will take place in three centres in Brahmanbaria-2 on January 9.

The Jatiya Oikyafront has announced that its MPs-elect will not take  oath as the alliance rejected the polls results alleging that the election was rigged by the ruling party.

Against this backdrop, it was assumed that the JP may sit on the opposition bench, like in the current parliament.

The JP became the main opposition in the current parliament formed after the 2014 election, which the BNP-led alliance had boycotted. The JP won 34 seats and its senior leader Raushan Ershad was recognised as the leader of the opposition with the status of a minister. Three JP MPs were also made ministers.

Their dual role has been criticised. The party could not play its due role as the main opposition in parliament in the last five years.

Meanwhile, JP Chairman HM Ershad could not take his oath as MP yesterday due to his illness, said GM Quader, Ershad's younger brother.

He was then scheduled to take the oath separately at 3:00pm yesterday. But later, he informed Quader that he was feeling ill and would not be able to do so.