The year of elections and expectations

The New Year is well set to be the year of franchise --- the year of elections, to put it otherwise. In 2024, the world will witness national elections in more than 70 countries, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and the United States (US). That's why 2024 is labelled as the 'year of democracy', and experts worldwide have already unveiled their analyses in influential global newspapers and media like the Financial Times, The Economist, the Foreign Policy and Politico. A common concern expressed in these analyses is whether the elections ultimately will uphold the democratic spirits and values in all these countries. Since in many countries the governments elected through the democratic process have become semi-autocratic or semi-authoritarian, the concern seems to be a valid one.
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America (USA), provided the most popular and simple definition of democracy: 'The government of the people, by the people and for the people.' Put in a different way, it is a form of government that comes from the people; the power it exercises is in the people's interests. The core components of democracy include fundamental freedom and fundamental rights, elections, rule of law, separation of power, freedom of the press and public opinion, functional parliament and democratic pluralism. There is a voluminous quantity of literature defining, discussing, describing and debating the concept, ideology and practice of democracy.
Election is considered one of the most essential pillars of democracy. Democratic elections have to be free and fair. These are possible when citizens can exercise their rights to vote in favour of their chosen candidates or parties without restriction. They also need to be free to apply their right to vote. There are some other conditions also to make the whole voting process free, fair and transparent.
There is, however, always a move to manipulate the elections through various means and mechanisms, mainly by the ruling parties in several democratic countries. Over the years, the practice has intensified thanks to modern and sophisticated information technologies. So, it has become rather challenging for the relevant authorities and national institutions to keep the election process as free and fair as possible.
As the beauty of democracy remains in accommodating diverse thoughts and opinions despite sharp differences, fair elections are instrumental in strengthening democratic values. An autocratic or authoritarian regime is always uncomfortable with diversity spreading roots. So, it takes a long struggle for the people to establish or reinstate a democratic system. Bangladesh is an example. People of the country spent almost a decade restoring the democratic norms during the '90s. Headed by two leading political parties, the persistent fight against the illegitimate autocratic ruler finally paid off.
The country's economic progress is also linked to the journey of the democratic path since 1991, as gradual liberalisation of trade and tariff also started as part of more significant economic reforms. Market-oriented entrepreneurship emerged in the following years. The press and media also began to thrive. Today's leading newspapers are the positive outcome of the country's democratic pluralism in the first decade of post-1990.
It is also interesting to note that the country's 12th parliamentary election, scheduled for tomorrow (January 7), is the first national election in 2024. So, despite some deficits and flaws, it has already drawn global attention. Bangladesh's development journey, especially in the last two decades, is also a critical factor in this connection. People worldwide want to see how strong the link between democracy and economy is in Bangladesh.

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