British FCO calls for parties\\\' greater electoral accountability

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has condemned all forms of violence and called for greater accountability from political parties for future elections.
The build-up to the 10th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh on January 5 was tarnished by serious levels of violence, intimidation, general strikes and transport blockades, the FCO said in its Human Rights and Democracy Report-2014 released on March 12.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led Alliance objected to the constitutionally valid electoral arrangements, and did not contest the election due to their concerns that the election would not be free and fair.
Half of parliamentary seats were uncontested, and the Awami League won a second successive term. Election day was marked by violence: 21 deaths were reported, and over 100 school-based polling centres burnt down.
FCO Minister for Human Rights, Baroness Warsi, deplored acts of intimidation and unlawful violence from all parties and urged all of Bangladesh's political parties to work together to address political accountability, the report mentioned.
Baroness Warsi raised concerns with visiting Bangladeshi ministers, as did former Minister of State for International Development, Alan Duncan, and former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for State for International Development, Lynne Featherstone, during visits to Bangladesh, it said.
"All three ministers urged Bangladesh's political parties to work together to strengthen democratic accountability, and to build wider confidence in future elections," said the report. Citing NGOs' report, it said impunity of all Bangladesh's law enforcement agencies continued to be a serious problem.
NGOs condemned a post-election spike in numbers of reported extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances allegedly carried out by law enforcers, said the report.
According to the report, allegations of involvement by the Rapid Action Battalion in the death of seven men in Narayanganj drew domestic and international criticism.
The government has proposed revisions to the Foreign Donations Act (pending parliamentary approval) and a new Broadcast Policy, while some using digital media to criticise the government have been detained under the Information Communications Technology Act.
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