Jan 7 Election: Violence, pre- polls environ undermined its quality

The quality of the January 7 election in Bangladesh was undermined by incidents of state, ruling party and opposition violence, said the US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI).

The pre-election environment -- which was characterised by zero-sum politics, violence among political actors, contracting civic space and worsening freedoms of expression and association -- also weakened the quality of elections, they said in their final report on the polls.

The NDI-IRI technical assessment team (TAM) was deployed to Bangladesh between December 20 and February 1.

The NDI-IRI report is not something to be accepted or rejected, said Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud.

"They have published their report and we are looking at it. The report should have also included the incidents where the BNP caused violence and burnt people to death," he told reporters after an event at the Foreign Service Academy yesterday.

The election period had less physical and online violence compared with previous election cycles, primarily due to the absence of nationwide partisan competition and the state's increased focus on election security, the report said.

The Bangladesh government took several actions, yet many stakeholders made credible accusations that state security services and other government institutions at times unevenly enforced election rules to favour the ruling Awami League, it said.

The scale of the government's efforts to arrest opposition members and restrict or disrupt opposition political activities was not satisfactorily justified and generated a widespread perception of politicised law enforcement during the election period, it said.

Stakeholders also noted that women voters and voters from other vulnerable groups faced economic pressure to vote, which included threats of eviction or loss of state welfare.

Election violence by non-state actors took two primary forms. The first was between competing candidates and supporters. The second form of non-state election violence was driven by the opposition's boycott effort.

Female candidates told the TAM that they were subject to insults and threats in public and online, particularly from male opponents and their followers, and said that state officials did not respond to their complaints.

Election violence targeting religious minorities was lower than in past elections. Hindus specifically still faced notable intimidation and violence during the campaign, the report said.

Prominent newspapers and social media platforms included some space for critical statements and reporting on the ruling party and state institutions. However, the fear of government retaliation led to self-censorship in the media.

Journalists also faced election violence from the ruling party and opposition during campaign events and protests.

Leaders across the sociopolitical spectrum -- including political parties, the government and civil society -- have a responsibility to reform the rules, practices and norms of electoral politics toward nonviolence, said Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI's Regional Director for the Asia-Pacific.

"Election violence is a key deterrent of citizen participation," said Johanna Kao, IRI's Senior Director for the Asia-Pacific Division.

The TAM said all actors -- including political parties, government institutions, civil society and citizens -- should play an active role in reforming the rules, practices and norms of electoral politics toward nonviolence, it said.

The independence and oversight of Bangladesh's elections can be improved with new mechanisms, including establishing a code of conduct for security personnel and updating legal frameworks to provide prompt and independent adjudication and review of election violence-related cases.