Sheikh Hasina has secured her fifth time period as Bangladeshi prime minister in an election whose consequence was determined the second its schedule was introduced in early November when the primary opposition boycotted the ballot.
The shock was who got here second.
As an alternative of any political celebration, unbiased candidates secured a complete of 63 seats, the second highest after Hasina’s Awami League (AL), which received 222, creating an issue of discovering a parliamentary opposition.
The present opposition, the Jatiya Get together, managed to safe simply 11 of the 300 parliamentary seats, in response to the Elections Fee.
Nearly all of the profitable unbiased contenders have been individuals who had been rejected by the AL however have been requested by the celebration management to face as “dummy candidates” to provide the election a aggressive veneer in entrance of the world.
“This can be a weird consequence of a weird election,” Shahidul Alam, a famend Bangladeshi rights activist and photographer, advised Al Jazeera. “Dummy candidates in a dummy election will now result in a dummy parliament.”
Shunned by the Bangladesh Nationalist Get together (BNP) – the AL’s foremost political opponent – which wished the balloting held underneath a impartial entity as an alternative of Hasina’s administration, Sunday’s “one-sided election” was only a “mere formality” to place Hasina again in energy once more, analysts say.
The one suspense, they added, was voter turnout, after Western governments put stress on Hasina’s authorities to make sure a free, honest and participatory ballot.
After polling closed at 4pm (10:00 GMT on Sunday), the Election Fee (EC) mentioned turnout was 40 p.c.
However many have been uncertain it was even that prime.
“I don’t learn about the remainder of the nation however I believe I’ve not seen such an empty Dhaka in years,” Abdullah Yusuf, an engineer within the Dhanmondi space of the capital, advised Al Jazeera.
“It felt just like the preliminary COVID days. I crossed two polling centres noon and didn’t see many individuals apart from Awami League activists who have been carrying badges. EC’s declare of 40 p.c is sort of absurd.”
‘Ridiculous’
Some analysts, in the meantime, pointed to confusion on the EC announcement.
“It’s exhausting to consider the turnout was 40 p.c, particularly given the truth that the chief election commissioner himself uttered 28 p.c first whereas briefing the media after which modified it to 40 p.c unexpectedly,” mentioned Sakhawat Hossain, a former election commissioner.
The turnout determine, which was proven on the dashboard on the EC headquarters hours after the briefing, was 28 p.c, and a photograph of it was extensively circulated within the nation’s social media and obtained criticism. Al Jazeera checked and verified that determine.
EC earlier declared at an hour earlier than the ballot closing that the turnout was about 27 p.c. Al Jazeera visited a minimum of 10 polling stations throughout the capital Dhaka within the final hour and didn’t see any voters.
Sharmin Murshid, the pinnacle of the reputed election observer organisation Brotee, advised Al Jazeera {that a} bounce from 27 to 40 in a span of an hour or so was “ridiculous” and had “tainted the EC fame severely”.
“It was a certain approach to additional lose the arrogance of the folks and credibility which it didn’t have to begin with,” she mentioned. “This was not an election, somewhat it was an train in casting votes by one celebration for one celebration,” she added.
BNP leaders, in the meantime, termed even 28 p.c very excessive, saying that a lot of the polling cubicles throughout the nation had been empty all through the day. The opposition celebration earlier declared a 48-hour “hartal”, equal to a complete strike, from Saturday morning, which it believed additionally diminished turnout.
“In most footage and pictures shared in media and social platforms, you’d discover images of canines standing, mendacity down and basking within the solar together with police and some Awami League activists,” mentioned Abdul Moyeen Khan, a senior BNP chief, whereas briefing journalists after the election, “However no voters.”
Khan mentioned folks had heeded their name to boycott ballots and present a “crimson card” to the election.
“Even Awami League supporters didn’t trouble to go to cubicles to solid their votes as a result of they knew their candidates would win anyway,” he added.
Considerations on legitimacy
AL leaders, nonetheless, mentioned the BNP’s plan to foil the election by way of “hartal” and “arson assaults” had not paid off as a result of folks did end up to vote.
“This can be a victory for our democracy,” Obaidul Quader advised the media after discovering a transparent lead in ballot outcomes, “Individuals give BNP’s terrorism befitting reply by way of balloting.”
Quader additionally mentioned most individuals voted for his or her most popular candidates with none intimidation or interference in voting. “This was probably the most peaceable elections of the nation,” he mentioned.
Whereas the final two nationwide elections have been tainted with dozens of deaths and extreme violence, Sunday’s ballot noticed just one loss of life and only a few clashes, making it probably the most peaceable polls within the South Asian nation’s historical past.
“Individuals of your nation needs to be pleased with holding such a peaceable election,” Hisham Kuhail, the CEO of the Central Election Fee of Palestine, considered one of a number of overseas observers of the ballot, advised a media briefing afterwards.
Kuhail, nonetheless, averted questions on voter turnout and mentioned he was assessing solely the technicalities of the voting course of – whether or not voters have been allowed entry and whether or not voting befell systematically.
“I can’t touch upon the political situation right here. For that I want to remain a minimum of a month,” he added.
Russian observer Andrei Shutov additionally mentioned the voting course of was systematic and peaceable. “This election is authentic,” he added.
AKM Wahiduzzaman, the knowledge and expertise affairs secretary of the BNP, mentioned there was no query it was peaceable as a result of “there have been no voters”.
“However it’s clearly not authentic,” he mentioned.
The Awami League’s victory, he added, was “unlawful and illegitimate” as a result of folks didn’t “legitimise them by way of votes”.
