Visiting pre-poll US observers suggest dialogue in their five-point recommendations for creating conducive conditions that allow participation of all political parties of Bangladesh in coming elections, as a standoff persists.
After extensive groundwork, the observation mission Sunday put forward the dos meant for ensuring free, fair and participatory elections, which created ripples on both sides of the political divide.
One view from the government side said they don't feel the need to give importance to the recommendations of foreigners.
The US delegation, comprising representatives of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), visited Bangladesh through last week 'to provide an independent and impartial assessment of electoral preparations in advance of Bangladesh's upcoming 12th Parliamentary Elections, examine factors that could affect the integrity and viability of a credible electoral process, and offer practical and timely recommendations to help improve the prospects for inclusive, transparent, and peaceful elections and public confidence in the process'.
In this wrap-up statement the delegation viewed that achievements made by the country recently set a strong foundation for the country to achieve its 2041 vision of becoming a developed country.
"However, Bangladesh's democratic journey continues to face several challenges. Despite some areas of progress, the current political environment presents significant obstacles to electoral integrity, including uncompromising and zero-sum politics, highly charged rhetoric, political violence, a widespread climate of uncertainty and fear, contracting civic space and freedom of expression, and a trust deficit among citizens, political leaders, and other stakeholders." the delegation of observers has said in their extensive observations.
They think these challenges pose a threat to democratic principles that could undermine the country's positive trajectory towards sustainable development.
"Bangladesh is at a crossroads and the upcoming elections provide a litmus test of the country's commitment to a democratic, participatory, and competitive political process," the statement says.
The team thinks the recommendations made by them constitute a roadmap that, if undertaken in the remaining pre-election period and beyond, can help achieve progress toward credible, inclusive, participatory, and nonviolent elections that can advance Bangladesh's democracy.
The five recommendations are (1) Have moderate rhetoric and engage in open and substantive dialogue on key election issues (2) Protect freedom of expression and ensure an open civic space where dissent is respected (3) Commit to nonviolence and hold perpetrators of political violence accountable (4) Create conditions to allow all parties to engage in meaningful political competition, including bolstering independent election management and (5) Promote a culture of inclusive and active electoral participation among citizens.
The delegation recognizes that it is the people of Bangladesh who will ultimately determine the credibility and legitimacy of their elections and their country's democratic development.
The delegation, therefore, offers this pre-election statement in the spirit of supporting and strengthening democratic institutions in Bangladesh.
In their observation the delegation says, "The government of Bangladesh has achieved notable successes in economic growth, infrastructure development, poverty reduction and environmental stewardship. However, political paralysis and declining trust in democratic processes cast a shadow on this progress and threatens to undermine the economic and development trajectory."
In this context, the Americans mention that during the 2014 and 2018 parliamentary elections, boycotts, violence, strikes, and electoral irregularities "undermined the legitimacy of the outcomes among many Bangladeshis."
"As a result, turnout for national and local elections is now routinely low. In the current election campaign, political violence is persistent, and opposition political figures and government critics face increasing pressure."
The mission also notes that the country's main opposition party is currently planning to boycott parliamentary elections unless the prime minister resigns and installs a nonpartisan election administration, which the government has rejected.
"The resulting deadlock is depriving Bangladeshis of political choice and undermining faith in the political process. In an environment of widespread mistrust, lack of political dialogue could lead to increased tensions and significantly escalate violence."
About the election administration it says although Bangladesh's constitution and legal framework provide a clear mandate for an independent election commission, in practice, however, the EC depends on government ministries to staff and provide security for the voting and counting process in the roughly 40,000 polling centers throughout the country.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com