AL urges UN to halt election support
The Awami League, which is banned from conducting political activities and cannot participate in the next general election, has appealed to the United Nations to refrain from supporting polls in Bangladesh.
On Saturday, the party sent a letter to Stefan Liller, representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Dhaka, through former education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury Nowfel.
The letter called on the UN and UNDP to suspend electoral assistance until an environment conducive to free and inclusive elections is restored.
It urged them to encourage national dialogue and consensus among all political parties, with human rights and rule of law upheld as a foundation for any electoral involvement.
Titled “Concerns Regarding UNDP Electoral Assistance to Bangladesh and Violations of UN Charter Principles of Impartiality, Political Inclusivity, and Fundamental Rights”, the letter expressed deep concern over UNDP’s electoral support, including the ballot project and institutional assistance for the February elections, stressing that the vote is “neither inclusive nor credible”.
“Such involvement risks contravening international law, UN principles, and the UNDP’s own mandate to promote free, fair, and participatory elections.”
The letter underscored that the party’s appeal for a genuinely inclusive and credible election comes amid criticism that the Awami League governed Bangladesh for over 15 years through three controversial polls.
After taking power in a landslide under the 2008 elections held during a caretaker government, the Awami League amended the Constitution in 2011 to abolish the caretaker system.
Subsequently, the party oversaw the 2014, 2018, and 2024 10th, 11th, and 12th parliamentary elections.
The BNP boycotted the 10th and 12th parliamentary polls after the nonpartisan government demand was unmet. As a result, the Awami League candidates won 153 of 300 seats uncontested in the 10th parliament, which the BNP described as a “parliament without votes”.
In the 11th national election of 2018, the Jatiyo Oikya Front, including some opposition parties, participated but alleged massive rigging, with most votes reportedly cast the previous night, leaving the opposition victorious in only seven constituencies. That election became known as the “Midnight Election”.
In the 12th parliamentary election of January 2024, boycotted by BNP and like-minded groups, the Awami League ceded seats to the opposition Jatiya Party allegedly to portray the election as participatory. The contests were primarily between ruling party candidates and party rebels, earning the election the moniker “Me or Dummy Election”.
The Awami League won all three elections and governed for over 15 years, until its ouster on Aug 5, 2024, during the student-led mass uprising.
In December last year, the High Court partially annulled the 15th constitutional amendment, reopening the possibility of a caretaker system.
The court observed that the three elections held under the Awami League “destroyed public confidence” due to the failure to ensure free and fair conditions.
In June, the BNP filed a case challenging these elections, naming all Election Commission officials responsible, alongside the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
In its letter to the UN, the Awami League acknowledged the importance of robust electoral institutions but stressed that assistance must align with inclusion and fundamental freedoms.
It described Bangladesh’s political environment as “repressive”, with thousands of political leaders, journalists, businesspeople, professionals, and citizens detained or threatened, and opportunities for dialogue or consensus broken.
The party warned of the rise of religion-based extremism, which interim government members were allegedly promoting, undermining liberal values and national stability.
The letter urged the UNDP to reassess its electoral role to ensure its support does not marginalise or persecute any group. It called for genuine dialogue, consensus, and restoration of democratic rights, including the release of political prisoners and participation of all political parties, as prerequisites for credible elections.
Previously, in Dhaka, the UN’s outgoing resident coordinator Gwenn Lewis said the elections could be inclusive even without the Awami League if genuine public participation occurred. He defined inclusive elections as enabling every segment of society -- women, 18-year-olds, ethnic minorities, and diverse religious communities -- to vote, with fair access and capacity for participation.
On questions about the Awami League’s ban, Lewis clarified that the UN does not take a political stance, emphasising that governments and political parties must be questioned directly on such matters.
Bangladesh UNDP representative Liller and the agency spokesperson were contacted for comment on the Awami League’s letter, but had not responded as of Tuesday. -bdn24
