EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION:
Marred by deaths in violence, nomination business, uncontested
wins, electoral irregularities and incidents of clashes between supporters of rival
candidates, storming of polling stations and ballot stuffing, fake voting, and
attacks on minority groups, the Union Parishad (UP) elections were held in the
country for the first time along partisan lines. The elections were held in six
different phases starting on 22nd March and ending on 4th June, 2016 as per the
circular announced on 11th February, 2016 by the Election Commission.
The UP
elections were a farce. It was the most violent election in the history of
Bangladesh. Terror and panic was spread instead of a festive mood across the
country. The ruling Awami League snatched the victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist
Party (BNP) by using muscle power and spreading fear among the people. Except
for few places, the polls were a complete farce and forgery all over the
country. Voters could not cast their votes according to their will, especially
for the post of chairman.
A BRIEF ON THE SIX PHASES OF UP POLLS:
The Union
Parishad elections were held in 6 phases in 4 thousand 103 UPs across the
country. Results came out for 4 thousand 2 UPs, and for the rest 101 UPs, polls
will be held later. Even though the results of this farcical election is
completely irrelevant, the Election Commission announced that among chairman
seats, the ruling party, the Awami League, won 2 thousand 661, Bangladesh
Nationalist Party in 367, other parties (Jatyo Party, Jatyo Shomajtantrik Dol
JSD, Jatyo Party-JP, Workers Party, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Zaker Party and
Jamiate Ulama e Islam Bangladesh) 60, and Independent candidates in 898, most
of whom are rebel candidates of the Awami League. (See attached Table 1
for reference)
In this election, 31.29% of votes were secured by the Independent
candidates. It is the highest for Independent candidates in the history of any
polls held in Bangladesh. According to the Election Commission, most of the
elected 898 Independent candidates were rebel candidates of the Awami League
and a few from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. As Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh
was not allowed to take part in the polls, some of their candidates contested
as Independent candidates. The Independent candidates were second to the ruling
party in the election standings. One of the largest party the BNP managed to
secure only 18.98% votes, whereas the Awami League secured 45.46%, and the rest
of the parties, namely Jatyo Party, Jatyo Shomajtantrik Dol JSD, Jatyo Paty JP,
Workers Party, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Zaker Party and Jamiat E Ulamai Islam
Bangladesh) got 2.3% votes. These statistics provided by the EC are very hard
to believe. (See attached Table 2 for reference)
Only 29
female Chairman candidates were elected in this election. Among them, 24 are
from the Awami League, 6 of whom were uncontested. Independent candidates won
4, and Jatyo Party 1.
Immediately
after the announcement of the Union Parishad elections in February 2016
violence started across the country. 108 people died till the polls day of the 6th
phase, leaving more than 6000 people injured. As of June 14, 2016, 116 people
were killed and 8000 injured. It is to be noted that the violence is still
continuing. (See attached Table 3 for reference)
This
violent election broke the record of uncontested victory for the post of
Chairman in the history of UP elections. Election Commission sources said that
217 Awami League candidates won uncontested for the post of Chairman.
The BNP Chairman candidates were absent in 554 UPs. Among these,
in 102 UPs the BNP candidates’ lives were threatened, so they had to step back.
In 188 UPs, they could not submit their nomination papers due to obstruction by
the Awami League. In 59 UPs, they were forced to withdraw their nomination. In many places, their nomination papers
were declared “Rejected” by the Election Office. This shows the kind of
adversity and helplessness faced by the BNP candidates.
UNPRECEDENTED VOTE FRAUD, BALLOT BOX
SNATCHING AND VIOLENCE:
Ineffective
Election Commission: In these UP polls the role of the Election Commission has
been seriously questioned. They remained silent spectators to the blatant
irregularities and violence perpetrated by the Awami League. The Election
Commission did not take any action against any irregularity and violence except
for very few even after having thousands of specific complaints. Among 36
thousand voting centers in the country, the Commission withheld voting in only
346 centers, whereas most of the centers were taken over by the Awami League.
The Election Commission failed to stop violence, false voting, vote rigging all
over the country even though it had the power and jurisdiction to stop such
events. The legal wing of the Election Commission advised the Commission to
take action against the serious wrongdoings. But the Election Commission took
into cognizance only a few cases and advised other complainants to seek redress
in regular courts.
The
Election Commission wrote letters during three phases of polls to the Ministry
of Home Affairs stating that there is no environment for fair election. But
there was no response from the Ministry. Before every election, the Ministry of
Home Affairs usually asks the legal firearms owners to deposit their arms at the
local police station, but it did not happen this time. No operation was
conducted by the Police to recover illegal weapons even though it was mentioned
in the Circular of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This helpless state of the
Election Commission provided a natural ground for violence to be committed by
the Awami League goons in all the phases of the election.
The
Election Commission virtually took no steps to prevent, stop, or curb the
violence. Instead, the Chief Election Commissioner defended this farcical and
forged election by means of an alibi. While talking to the media after holding
a meeting with the local administration, personnel, and high ups of the law
enforcing bodies, the CEC said, “Large scale electoral violence occurred
in West Bengal, Bihar and other places of India. Electoral violence appears to
be the culture of the subcontinent. A traffic Police constable may be assigned
the duty to show the location of polling station in foreign countries, but
armed Police battalion is not deployed. It seems we need to bring in tanks to
hold elections ………. Dirty incidents of polling booth capture have come down.
Verily, disordered and illegal activities have occurred in quite a few polling
booths. These three or four isolated incidents are shown repeatedly, which
creates a notion in the minds of everybody that faulty elections are held
everywhere.”
THE ELECTION OF VIOLENCE AND RIGGING:
Since the
beginning of the recent UP elections, display of muscle and illegal firearms
became blaring when ruling party candidates started swooping on BNP candidates
in various ways. BNP candidates were being barred from submitting nomination
papers. The way Awami cadre in collaboration with administration, Election
Commission and government agencies snatched people’s franchise right, it is
nothing but a mockery of human rights and brazen hallmark of fascism in utter
violation of international norms and ethics. Even the alliance partners of the
government expressed their resentment about this election.
ROLE OF MEDIA:
Many journalists were threatened by Awami activists and law
enforcing agencies while collecting information of irregularities prior to Election
Day. While performing the election day duty, many journalists were obstructed
by Awami goons and law enforcing agencies; in some cases they were beaten and
driven out of the polling centers. In some cases their equipment were broken,
and memory cards containing pictures of rigging and violence were taken out.
OPINION OF ELECTION OBSERVERS AND EXPERTS:
Election observers, experts and civil society organizations like
SUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance), Broti, Dr. Tofayel Ahmed (Local
Government Expert), Dr. Moinul Islam (Teacher and Economist) and others
expressed their dissatisfaction and deep concern at the violence and
unprecedented rigging and malpractices that took place in this year’s UP
elections. They also seriously criticized the Election Commission for its
inaction and utter failure in the fair and impartial conduct of the election.
The diplomats present in Dhaka also expressed their deep concern about the
violence and killings in the UP election. (Some of their quotes may be
seen at the end of this summary)
NEW FEATURES/ STRATEGIES OF IRREGULARITY
AND FORGERY:
·
Nomination Business: Knowing that victory is secured with Awami
League’s “Boat” symbol, the Awami League leaders became desperate to get
nomination by hook or by crook, resulting in a huge nomination trade and
violence within the party. This kind of widespread nomination trade was unknown
before.
· In many
cases, the Awami League candidates compelled the proposers and seconders of the
rebel Awami League candidates and BNP candidates to deny and disown their
proposals and secondments resulting in invalidation of their chosen
candidatures. This never happened before in the election history of the
country.
·
Awami League miscreants tortured, in some cases held hostage, the
wife and children and other family members of their opponent candidates in
their absence when they had to leave the area for fear of arrest or violence.
· Ballot
boxes were stuffed with ballots in the night prior to the Election Day which
the Chief Election Commissioner indirectly admitted in statements he made to
the press.
· Students
in school uniforms under the patronization of AL candidates were found to wait
in long queues and were made to cast false votes.
·
In many cases, Awami goons in guise of Ansar and Police were found
to play the role of law enforcing agencies in and around polling centers.
·
In many cases, votes were cast in the name of deceased voters.
·
In some polling centers, the rate of cast votes was more than
100%.
·
Awami League goons did not allow the opposition candidates’
polling agents to enter the polling centers; or drove them out of the centers
by force after assaulting and manhandling them. It was very hard for BNP and
other party candidates to find polling agents as the polling agents’ lives were
threatened before the Election Day.
·
AL candidates compelled the voters to vote for the chairman
candidate in the open and put the ballot paper in the ballot box in front of
everybody. In many cases, they did not hand over the ballot paper to the voters
instead they themselves marked the ballot paper and stuffed it in the ballot
box. This kind of open rigging never happened ever before.
· Presiding
Officers along with the members of law enforcement agencies were found stuffing
ballot boxes while ruling party candidates used firearms to drive away
representatives belonging to the opposition party. This kind of rampant and
desperate malpractice never happened before.
·
Prospective candidates were made to quit the election scenario by
implicating them in criminal cases or threatening to implicate them or to kill
them by the Awami League candidates.
·
In many cases, the election results were reversed by putting the
presiding officers in fear of death.
·
Unprecedented inaction on the part of the Election Commission.
· In 4 UPs
of Rangamati Hill Tracts, no Awami League or BNP candidates could file their
nomination papers being threatened with death. And in 3 UPs in the Hill Tracts,
no one was found to file nomination papers out of fear. Many candidates flew to
Chittagong and Rangamati Headquarters for refuge. As a result, the election
process could not at all be initiated in the Hill Tracts.
ISSUES UNVEILED AND OUR RECOMMENDATIONS:
· The
sudden decision of holding UP elections under the political party system had
raised many questions. Many experts opined that the new system would trigger
widespread violence at grassroots level. Their concern has finally come true.
Though
party-based local government election is practiced in many democratic
countries, it is time to consider whether the system is feasible and applicable
in Bangladesh.
·
Many are of the opinion that party-based UP election is no doubt a
politically motivated decision taken by the Awami League to come out from its
image crisis tainted by the non-participatory and disputed parliamentary
election of January 5, 2014 which went in utter violation of international
standard and requirement throwing the government in a legitimacy crisis.
Although 80% - 90% ruling party chairman candidates have been declared winners
in last UP election, the government could hardly avail of this as it was marred
by violence, and endless flaws. The government failed to exploit the landslide
victory to overcome its legitimacy crisis. It rather came as a boomerang and
worsened the situation for the ruling party.
·
Another target of the ruling party was further cementation of its
footing at the grassroots level. But internal clash, feud and killings creating
permanent and long lasting divisions in the ruling party left the objective
unachieved.
· Some
candidates of the 14-party alliance were also barred from participating in the
electoral process; those who could somehow submit nomination papers were either
forced to quit or failed to launch effective electoral campaigns in the face of
obstruction and violence from the Awami cadres, resulting in resentment among
small stakeholders of the 14 party alliance.
· The
decision to hold Chairman elections on the basis of party symbols and member elections
without party symbols created a conflicting situation in the polling system.
·
Number of deaths and killings this time created a record in the
history of election in Bangladesh, leaving 116 killed and around 8000 injured
till 14th June 2016.
·
This election has been marked with both visible and invisible
violence. Invisible violence included threatening of opposition candidates and
barring them from filing nominations and barring their supporters from voting
by putting them in fear. While visible violence includes assault, firing, destruction
of campaign materials, stuffing ballot boxes, etc.
· This
election also created history in the record of 217 Awami League UP Chairman
declared elected uncontested. No other candidate from any other party got the
luck of being declared elected uncontested.
·
Election violence occurred mostly between the Awami League
candidates and their rebels. Many BNP leaders and workers could not stay home
due to a hostile political situation and state of fear. As a result, a large
party like the BNP could not participate and involve itself in the election
process independently and at ease. Needless to say this is very harmful for a
democratic process.
· In this
election, the Awami League specially targeted BNP strongholds, like Feni,
Lakshmipur, Bogra, Noakhali, Comilla, Chitittagong and Rajshahi. This suggests
that the government has chosen to hold UP election under party symbol to
materialize its far-reaching blueprint.
·
Usually, as in India, where election is held in phases, final
result is declared after the completion of all the phases so that the result of
one phase cannot affect or influence that of the others. But the Election
Commission in Bangladesh, by publishing results after each phase of UP election
paved the way for inevitable partisan practice in the election process.
·
This election has undoubtedly proved that the Election Commission
is inefficient, inactive, spineless, partisan and completely incapable of
delivering a free and fair election. This commission is not willing to execute
and implement its own authority. They are used to look for what the government
wishes and act accordingly. This election has conveyed a clear message that no
free, fair and transparent election is possible under the present partisan and
sycophantic Election Commission.
· To save
democracy, the demand for establishment of a free, fair, neutral and
transparent Election Commission is now the top-most priority. It is high time
to press the demand home.
SOME COMMENTS OF THE ELECTION OBSERVERS
AND EXPERTS:
“The future is bleak, if the trend of open violence, booth
capture and false voting in this party symbol based election continues. The Election
Commission did not get any help from the Government Departments as per the Constitution.
The Commission and the Government are describing the incidents of 145 dead as
one or two isolated incidents. We want to say, uninterrupted isolated incidents
have occurred.”
-M.
Hafizuddin Khan, Chairman of SUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance)
“The present Election
Commission wants to shirk responsibility on others after failing to hold a free
and fair election. No excuse can be accepted. They have failed to hold free and
fair elections despite holding constitutional positions. This election has
never been acceptable. Because there had been huge fraud, violence, and
nomination trade in the election. This election could not ensure democratic
transition. The Election Commission is a constitutional body, therefore the
responsibility for all these had to be borne by the Election Commission.”
-Dr.
Badiul Alam Mojumder, General Secretary of SUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance)
“This election process was
questionable from the very beginning. The Commission did not take any action
with neutrality and courage standing on the legal ground … If this Union
Parishad election gets recognition as a mode, then surely our electoral system
will crumble. Our democratic system begins to crumble, which will not bring
good to anybody. Therefore a national dialogue should be held to review
different aspects of the election without any delay in the national interest”.
-Dilip
Kumar Sarker, Central Coordinator of SUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance)
“There shall never be free and fair election in this country if
the government does not want it. That is why the government has to take
measures. The situation that prevails now shows that it is rather said less if
this election is called questionable. This bullet-pierced election. Nobody is
thinking about the UP Election. Shall there be any election in this country is
a big question”.
-Dr,
Tofayel Ahmed, Local Government Expert
“We have no election. Where
have we taken the election? God save us! It will take time to understand the
depth of damage caused by this Union Parishad election. Sheikh Hasina, daughter
of Bangabondhu, has to appear in the dock of history. How in her own hand she
has destroyed the electoral system!”
-Dr.
Moinul Islam, Teacher & Economist
‘Every incident of violence is a matter of concern, irrespective
of place and occurrence. It’s everybody’s responsibility to ensure that voters
get unhindered opportunity to cast their vote. This election has brought an
‘apocalypse’ for the democratic process in Bangladesh.”
-Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat, US Ambassador in Bangladesh
TABLE
A MATRIX
ON SOME STATISTICS OF RECENTLY HELD UP ELECTION HAS BEEN UNDERLINED:
Table 1
PHASE-WISE
RESULT OF UP ELECTION 2016
|
|||||||||
Date of
Election
|
Electionn
Held
|
Re-
Election
|
Awami
League
|
BNP
|
Other
Party
|
Indepe
ndent
|
|||
Total
Elected
|
Elected
Uncontested
|
Elected
|
No
candidate
|
||||||
1st Phase
|
March
22
|
725
|
1
|
540
|
54
|
47
|
119
|
9
|
103
|
2nd Phase
|
March
31
|
644
|
10
|
450
|
34
|
61
|
79
|
8
|
115
|
3rd Phase
|
April
23
|
615
|
5
|
395
|
29
|
60
|
81
|
16
|
163
|
4th Phase
|
May 07
|
703
|
20
|
439
|
34
|
70
|
106
|
13
|
161
|
5th Phase
|
May 28
|
717
|
38
|
431
|
39
|
67
|
100
|
11
|
170
|
6th Phase
|
June 04
|
699
|
27
|
406
|
27
|
62
|
69
|
3
|
186
|
Total
|
4103
|
101
|
2661
|
217
|
367
|
554
|
60
|
898
|
Table: 2
PERCENTAGE
OF VOTE IN UP ELECTION 2016
|
|
Party
|
Percentage
of vote
|
Awami League
|
45.46%
|
Independent candidate
|
31.29%
|
BNP
|
18.98%
|
Jatiya party
|
2.24%
|
Others
(Jatiya Samajtantrik Dol JSD, Bangladesh Workers Party, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Jatiya Party JP)
|
2.3%
|
Table: 3
PICTURE
OF VIOLENCE SINCE DECLARATION OF UP SCHEDULE ON FEBRUARY 11 TILL MAY 8
|
||||
Killed
till before election
|
Killed
on the day of election
|
Injured
|
||
1st Step
|
March
22
|
10
|
11
|
More
than 2000
|
2nd Step
|
March
31
|
3
|
8
|
More
than 1100
|
3rd Step
|
April
23
|
11
|
1
|
More
than 900
|
4th Step
|
May 07
|
13
|
6
|
More
than 1000
|
5th Step
|
May 28
|
14
|
16
|
More
than 600
|
6th Step
|
June 04
|
11
|
4
|
More
than 350
|
Total
Killed 108, Injured More than 6000 till 4th June,
2016
|
* 116 killed and around 8000 injured till 14th June, 2016.
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