A historic landslide for Awami League
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
FE Report
Awami League (AL), facing a raft of challenges on the domestic and global fronts, won Monday's historic Jatiya Sangshad (parliament) elections with a clear two-thirds majority, pulverising its arch rival, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Excluding the seats of its partners, the party, headed by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and a scion of the Mujib dynasty, bagged an astounding 230 seats in the ninth parliamentary elections, up from 62 in 2001 polls.
The BNP, which won 193 seats in the eighth parliamentary polls, suffered a crushing defeat in 2008 elections with only 29 seats.
The case of its major partner, Bangladesh Jaamat-e-Islami, was no good, either. The Islamic party's share took a major dip this time to only two from 17 in 2001 general elections that brought it to power along with BNP.
Jatiya Party, now an ally of AL-led grand alliance, fared exceptionally well in the ninth parliamentary elections having grabbed 27 seats, even though it got 14 in 2001 polls without forming any alliance.
In a surprising triumph, Workers Party headed by Rashed Khan Menon and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) led by Hasanul Huq Inu secured two and three seats respectively in 2008. In the eighth parliament, both parties had no representation.
The Election Commission (EC), on the basis of unofficial results, published the results of 295 constituencies, except the one in Noakhali-1 constituency which lay vacant since the tragic demise of Nurul Islam, a candidate of the AL-led grand alliance.
The commission, an independent body charged with organising polls, had kept the results of the four constituencies - Chittagong-16, Noakhali-3 and Parbatya Rangamati and Parbatya Bandarbans--withheld in the wake of reported irregularities during balloting.
According to the EC counts, the grand alliance got 262 seats while the BNP-led four-party coalition won only 32 seats, independents four and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 1.
Jatiya party alone won 27 seats, JSD (Inu) three and Workers Party two. But the two left-leaning parties contested the elections with AL's election symbol-boat.
However, seats of Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) dropped to only one from four in 2001 elections, while Islamic Oikkya Jote and Krishak Sramik Janata League failed to manage a single seat each in 2008 elections.
Political observers say, the AL's landslide victory is a reminder of yet another landmark elections in 1970 when the slain president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won the absolute majority, but denied power by the then Pakistani regime.
AL chief Sheikh Hasina and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia-both were former prime ministers-won the highest number of three seats each they contested as per the new electoral rules.
Former president and Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad also bagged three seats in the crucial elections, clearing aside the way for restoring democracy.
But three top leaders on the country's political scene will have to relinquish their two seats each, paving the way for reelection in their constituencies that are to fall vacant in the foreseeable future.
Among the smaller parties, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) chief Col (retd) Oli Ahmed won one while the seats won by independent candidates reached four.
Among the other prominent political leaders who returned are Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon, its leader Fazle Hossain Badsha and JSD chief Hasanul Haq Inu.
The political heavyweights who suffered defeat include Speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Deputy Speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiqi, former President Badruddoza Chowdhury, BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain, former Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman, former Law Minister Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former LGRD Minister Mannan Bhuiyan, former Water Resources Minister Maj (rtd) Hafizuddin, Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah, Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Dhaka Mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka, former Rajshahi Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu, Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami and its leaders Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujaheed and Maulana Delwar Hossain Saydee and former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar.
A total of 1,555 candidates from 39 political parties including independent candidates were on the election trail to replace the military-backed caretaker administration. The country has been under a state of emergency since 11 January 2007, but was lifted barely two weeks before the December 29 elections.
The last general election was held on October 1, 2001 for the 8th parliament. A total of 1,935 candidates representing 54 parties and including 484 independents had vied for the polls.
Balloting for Noakhali-1 constituency has been rescheduled for January 12 following the death of one candidate--Ganotantri Party chief Nurul Islam.
Meanwhile, BNP, which had governed the country for five years after the 2001 general election with two-thirds-plus majority, alleged "irregularities, rigging and forgery" in the just-concluded 9th parliamentary elections.
Thousands of voters turned up in the capital city and elsewhere in the country to exercise their franchise as voting took place in a peaceful atmosphere.
Local and foreign election observers, in their preliminary assessments, have hailed the parliamentary elections as by far the most 'peaceful" and fairest, calling upon the opposition to accept the people's verdict.
Of the total 8,10,58,698 voters, the turnout was over 80 per cent on an average as against the last election's nearly 75 per cent, according to the Election Commission officials.
Awami League (AL), facing a raft of challenges on the domestic and global fronts, won Monday's historic Jatiya Sangshad (parliament) elections with a clear two-thirds majority, pulverising its arch rival, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Excluding the seats of its partners, the party, headed by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and a scion of the Mujib dynasty, bagged an astounding 230 seats in the ninth parliamentary elections, up from 62 in 2001 polls.
The BNP, which won 193 seats in the eighth parliamentary polls, suffered a crushing defeat in 2008 elections with only 29 seats.
The case of its major partner, Bangladesh Jaamat-e-Islami, was no good, either. The Islamic party's share took a major dip this time to only two from 17 in 2001 general elections that brought it to power along with BNP.
Jatiya Party, now an ally of AL-led grand alliance, fared exceptionally well in the ninth parliamentary elections having grabbed 27 seats, even though it got 14 in 2001 polls without forming any alliance.
In a surprising triumph, Workers Party headed by Rashed Khan Menon and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) led by Hasanul Huq Inu secured two and three seats respectively in 2008. In the eighth parliament, both parties had no representation.
The Election Commission (EC), on the basis of unofficial results, published the results of 295 constituencies, except the one in Noakhali-1 constituency which lay vacant since the tragic demise of Nurul Islam, a candidate of the AL-led grand alliance.
The commission, an independent body charged with organising polls, had kept the results of the four constituencies - Chittagong-16, Noakhali-3 and Parbatya Rangamati and Parbatya Bandarbans--withheld in the wake of reported irregularities during balloting.
According to the EC counts, the grand alliance got 262 seats while the BNP-led four-party coalition won only 32 seats, independents four and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 1.
Jatiya party alone won 27 seats, JSD (Inu) three and Workers Party two. But the two left-leaning parties contested the elections with AL's election symbol-boat.
However, seats of Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) dropped to only one from four in 2001 elections, while Islamic Oikkya Jote and Krishak Sramik Janata League failed to manage a single seat each in 2008 elections.
Political observers say, the AL's landslide victory is a reminder of yet another landmark elections in 1970 when the slain president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won the absolute majority, but denied power by the then Pakistani regime.
AL chief Sheikh Hasina and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia-both were former prime ministers-won the highest number of three seats each they contested as per the new electoral rules.
Former president and Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad also bagged three seats in the crucial elections, clearing aside the way for restoring democracy.
But three top leaders on the country's political scene will have to relinquish their two seats each, paving the way for reelection in their constituencies that are to fall vacant in the foreseeable future.
Among the smaller parties, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) chief Col (retd) Oli Ahmed won one while the seats won by independent candidates reached four.
Among the other prominent political leaders who returned are Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon, its leader Fazle Hossain Badsha and JSD chief Hasanul Haq Inu.
The political heavyweights who suffered defeat include Speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Deputy Speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiqi, former President Badruddoza Chowdhury, BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain, former Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman, former Law Minister Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former LGRD Minister Mannan Bhuiyan, former Water Resources Minister Maj (rtd) Hafizuddin, Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah, Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Dhaka Mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka, former Rajshahi Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu, Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami and its leaders Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujaheed and Maulana Delwar Hossain Saydee and former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar.
A total of 1,555 candidates from 39 political parties including independent candidates were on the election trail to replace the military-backed caretaker administration. The country has been under a state of emergency since 11 January 2007, but was lifted barely two weeks before the December 29 elections.
The last general election was held on October 1, 2001 for the 8th parliament. A total of 1,935 candidates representing 54 parties and including 484 independents had vied for the polls.
Balloting for Noakhali-1 constituency has been rescheduled for January 12 following the death of one candidate--Ganotantri Party chief Nurul Islam.
Meanwhile, BNP, which had governed the country for five years after the 2001 general election with two-thirds-plus majority, alleged "irregularities, rigging and forgery" in the just-concluded 9th parliamentary elections.
Thousands of voters turned up in the capital city and elsewhere in the country to exercise their franchise as voting took place in a peaceful atmosphere.
Local and foreign election observers, in their preliminary assessments, have hailed the parliamentary elections as by far the most 'peaceful" and fairest, calling upon the opposition to accept the people's verdict.
Of the total 8,10,58,698 voters, the turnout was over 80 per cent on an average as against the last election's nearly 75 per cent, according to the Election Commission officials.