2024 Bangladeshi general election
 | This article documents a current election. Information may change rapidly as the election progresses until official results have been published. Initial news reports may be unreliable, and the last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (January 2024) |
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All 300 directly elected seats in the Jatiya Sangsad 151 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opinion polls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registered | 11,93,33,157 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 40%[1][2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Declared | as of 03:22 UTC[a] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Constituency map | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Election schedule[3][4] | |
|---|---|
| 15 November 2023 | Declaration of the schedule |
| 30 November 2023 | Application date for electoral candidates |
| 1–4 December 2023 | Scrutiny |
| 17 December 2023 | Last day of candidacy withdrawal |
| 18 December 2023 | Symbol allocation |
| 18 December 2023–5 January 2024 | Campaigning period |
| 7 January 2024 | Election & Results |
General elections are currently taking place in Bangladesh on 7 January 2024, in accordance with the constitutional requirement that elections must take place within the 90-day period before the expiration of the term of the Jatiya Sangshad on 29 January 2024.[5][3][6]
In the lead-up to the election, the incumbent government led by Sheikh Hasina cracked down on opposition and silenced critics of the government.[7][8][9] Hasina has been described as authoritarian since returning to power in 2008,[10][11][12][13] and in 2011 removed the requirement that a temporary independent technocratic cabinet be formed to hold elections. The main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, boycotted the elections (similar to in 2014) due to the failure of the election commission to hold a fair election
.[9]
Background
The current Sangsad is scheduled to expire on 29 January 2024, as the first session of this parliament sat on 30 January 2019 and the tenure of a parliament lasts five years.[5]
The Awami League won the 2018 general elections and formed the government.[14]
The main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), demanded that the government hand over power to a neutral caretaker government before the next elections.[15] This has been rejected by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who vowed that "Bangladesh will never allow an unelected government again".[16] Hasina's resistance to a caretaker government arose following the 2006–2008 crisis, during which a caretaker government assumed military control of the country and arrested a number of political leaders, including Hasina and BNP leader Khaleda Zia.[17] Zia was sentenced to prison for five years on February 8, 2018, for her involvement in the Zia Orphanage corruption case.[18] The sentence was then modified to 10 years.[19] Khaleda Zia's successor as chair of the party, her son Tarique Rahman, was also found guilty of criminal conspiracy and multiple counts of murder for a grenade attack in 2004 that injured Hasina and killed 24 people.[20] He was sentenced to life in prison. As such, he was barred from running for office.[21]
In order to guarantee that the election will be conducted in accordance with electoral law and the constitution, the 2024 Bangladesh Election Commission was formed on 27 February 2022.[22] It is responsible for announcing election schedules, outlining constituency zones, preparing electoral rolls, supervising the elections, announcing the election's results, and establishing election boards to settle any election disputes.[23] It is chaired by Kazi Habibul Awal, Md. Alamgir, Anisur Rahman, Rashida Sultana Emily and Ahsan Habib Khan.[24]
In the election, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and first lady Rebecca Sultana used postal ballot to cast their vote on 3 January 2024. It is the first instances of using postal ballot in the history of elections in Bangladesh.[25]
Electoral system
The 350 members of the Jatiya Sangsad consist of 300 directly elected seats using first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies, and an additional 50 seats reserved for women. The reserved seats are elected proportionally by the elected members. Each parliament sits for a five-year term.[26]
Pre-electoral statistics and information
According to the data released by the Election Commission on January 4, 2024, the total number of voters in the next parliamentary election is people. Among them,are men voters,are women voters and 849 transgender voters.[27] According to EC, 28 political parties and a total of 1,970 candidates are contesting the election, of which 436 are independent candidates. Total final polling stations are and final polling booths are 261,564.[28]
Controversies
The BNP has demanded that there should be a caretaker government during election season because, as Citizens for Good Governance founder-secretary Badiul Alam Majumder has claimed, every election in Bangladesh that was not conducted under a caretaker government has been marred by irregularities.[29][15] Without a caretaker government, the BNP has stated its intent to boycott the elections. On 17 May 2023, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said: "[Our] movement and elections cannot go hand in hand. Participating in elections under [the current government] means to validate them. We cannot continue our movement with those who compete in the elections when the leaders and activists are being arrested and harassed while protesting to free the country from this illegal government. Rather, it is time to identify them and uproot them politically."[30] On June 3, 2023, the BNP expelled 43 of its leaders for life as a result of their decision to participate in the Sylhet City Corporation election.[31]
The BNP has been aligned throughout its existence with the Jamaat-e-Islami, a far-right lslamist party, and it is linked to groups like Jamaat ul-Mujaheddin and Harkat-ul-Jihad.[32] Jamaat-e-Islami was banned from participating in elections in 2013, and many of its former leaders have gone on to form the Bangladesh Development Party (BDP), which intends to participate in the elections. The president of the BDP, Anwarul Islam Chan, has denied any affiliations with the Jamaat, saying: "The post-liberation generation was born after independence. We are a political party and not interested in such issues" as opposing Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan.[33][34]
The Awami League, on the other hand, has insisted that a caretaker government would be unconstitutional and that the Election Commission is independent and sanctioned by law.[15][35]
The Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted "the electoral process will remain under strict vigilance, including by international observers as accredited by the Election Commission."[36] Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen said on April 10, 2023, in a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the independent election commission is key to holding fair, transparent elections.[37][38]
Foreign positions
United States
On 23 May 2023, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new visa policy vis-a-vis Bangladesh to support the country's goal of holding free, fair, and peaceful national elections. The policy states that the US would "restrict the issuance of visas for any Bangladeshi individual, believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh", including "current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of pro-government and opposition political parties, and members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and security services". The policy lists actions that would undermine the election process as "vote rigging, voter intimidation, the use of violence to prevent people from exercising their right to freedoms of association and peaceful assembly, and the use of measures designed to prevent political parties, voters, civil society, or the media from disseminating their views".[39]
The restrictions were meant to act as a signal to the Bangladeshi government to hold democratic elections and to the BNP to participate in the elections, as a boycott of them could lead to instability.[40] When asked how the US would navigate a situation in which a party that refuses to participate in the national election would later claim that the election was unfair, US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said: "I don't have anything else to get into, as it's an internal, domestic election" and that all the US wants is that it should be free, fair, and reflective of the will of the Bangladeshi people.[41]
On 1 August 2023, US Ambassador Peter Haas announced after meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal that a US pre-election monitoring team consisting of experts with previous experience in election monitoring and preparation, would arrive in Bangladesh in October before the election.[42]
United Nations
On 4 August 2023, the United Nations denounced pre-election violence in Bangladesh, calling for police "to refrain from excessive use of force amid recurring violence and mass arrests ahead of general elections". This is a human rights issue concerning violence erupting at opposition rallies in 2023, and the harsh response by police using rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons. A UN spokesman said: "Police, alongside men in plain clothing, have been seen using hammers, sticks, bats and iron rods, among other objects, to beat protesters". He added that hundreds of people who oppose the government have been arrested before and during the rallies.[43]
UN concerns have arisen after Sheikh Hasina rejected demands by the BNP and its allies for the government to step down and allow the January election to be held under a neutral caretaker government. The UN has stressed that Hasina's government "must abide by their human rights obligations and allow people to exercise their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of opinion and expression".[43]
Responding to the UN statement, Mahfuz Anam commented: "From the looks of it, our two major political parties are preparing for 'gladiatorial' street fights as a part of their election preparation. Can this be democracy?"[44] Later on August 4, Information Minister Hasan Mahmud attacked the BNP during a mosquito eradication conference in Dhaka, saying: "Dengue mosquitoes bite people and BNP puts people on fire and burns cars. Therefore, like dengue, BNP has to be prevented".[45]
Soon after Mahfuz Anam spoke, there was a meeting in Dhaka of the 14-party alliance led by the Awami League. They announced a rally to be held on 7 August before Awami League HQ on Bangabandhu Avenue. The purpose of the rally is to protest against the "terror and anarchy" of BNP and to "prevent any conspiracy of the BNP-Jamaat". A spokesman said alliance members will take to the streets across the whole country, besides Dhaka.[46]
Others
On 7 May 2023, Prime Minister Hasina urged Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland to send diversified election observers for the election while stating that her government has made the election commission an independent and powerful institution to strengthen the democratic process in the country.[47]
A group of human rights organizations wrote to 14 members of United States Congress urging them to be aware of how the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have been operating "overtly and covertly in cahoots with terrorist groups, like Ansar al Islam, since 2001".[48]
Terry Isley, a member of an independent election monitoring delegation that visited Bangladesh in August 2023, said that the demand for a caretaker government is unconstitutional and illegal in the present political context of Bangladesh. He also expressed disappointment that the BNP refused to meet with the delegation.[49]
On 20 September 2023, the Election Commission of Bangladesh received a letter from the European Union stating that it would not send a full-fledged election observation mission to the upcoming general election. The letter said Bangladesh's environment is not suitable for election observation.[50][51] However, in a letter to the Election Commission on October 19th, the EU said it would send a 4-member technical team to observe the election.[52]
Parties and alliances
| Alliance/Party | Flag | Symbol | Leader | Seats Contested | Seats Contested under Alliance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Alliance | AL | 
|
Sheikh Hasina | 263 | 263 | 269 | |||
| WPB | 
|
Rashed Khan Menon | 33 | 2 | |||||
| JaSaD | 
|
Hasanul Haque Inu | 91 | 3 | |||||
| BTF | Syed Najibul Bashar Maizbhandari | 41 | 0 | ||||||
| JP (M) | Anwar Hossain Manju | 20 | 1 | ||||||
| BSD-ML | .png)
|
Dilip Barua | 6 | 0 | |||||
| JP (E) | 
|
GM Quader | 286 | ||||||
| TBNP | Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury | 151 | |||||||
| UF | BKP | 
|
Syed Muhammad Ibrahim | 20 | 20 | 38 | |||
| BJP | Mohammed Abdul Muqit | 13 | 13 | ||||||
| BML (B) | Sheikh Zulfiqar Bulbul Chowdhury | 5 | 5 | ||||||
| BNM | Abdur Rahman | 49 | |||||||
| BSP | Sayed Saifuddin Ahmed | 82 | |||||||
| BIF | 
|
|
M.A. Matin | 37 | |||||
| BML | 
|
|
Badruddoza Ahmed Shuja | 2 | |||||
| IFB | 
|
|
Bahadur Shah Mujaddedi | 39 | |||||
| ZP | Mustafa Amir Faisal | 218 | |||||||
| IOJ | Abu Hasnat Amini | 45 | |||||||
| BKA | 
|
Mawlana Ataullah | 14 | ||||||
| BKSJL | 
|
Kader Siddique | 34 | ||||||
| GF | _Flag.png)
|
Jakir Hossain | 25 | ||||||
| GF | .png)
|
Kamal Hossain | 9 | ||||||
| NPP | Sheikh Salauddin Salu | 142 | |||||||
| BDNAP | 
|
Jobel Rahman Gani | 6 | ||||||
| BDB | 
|
A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury | 14 | ||||||
| BSM | Abdur Razzak Mullah | 74 | |||||||
| BNF | M.A. Abul Kalam Azad | 55 | |||||||
| BCP | Kazi Rezaul Hossen | 116 | |||||||
Candidates
Few terms used in the following table are described as-
- Nomination Withdrawn means candidates withdrew their nomination before or on 17th December.
- Candidacy Invalid means candidates who are declared ineligible to contest by the EC.
- Disqualified means disqualification of eligible candidates due to inappropriate nomination submission.
- Candidacy Withdrawn means candidates who are on the final list or on ballot but won't be contesting or endorsed another candidate.
- Candidacy Cancelled means cancellation of candidacy of the candidates who are on ballot due to breaking election code.
- Didn't Submit Nomination Paper means candidates were nominated by the party but failed to submit their nomination paper on due date.
Surveys and polls
Approval ratings
| Polling firm/Link | Fieldwork date | Date published | Sample size | Margin of Error | Government | 'Opposition' | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Disapproval | Neither/Don't know | Net approval | Approval | Disapproval | Neither/Don't know | Lead | |||||
| International Republican Institute | 1 Mar – 6 Apr 2023 | 8 Aug 2023 | 5,000 | ±1.4 | 70 | 30 | 1 | +40 | 63 | 26 | 12 | +37 |
| Research and Training International | — | 26 Jan 2020 | 2,266 | ±2.9 | 85 | 3 | 12 | +82 | 7 | 25 | 68 | –18 |
| International Republican Institute | 1 Aug – 16 Sep 2019 | 8 Jan 2020 | 4,993 | ±1.4 | 83 | 11 | 7 | +72 | 36 | 34 | 30 | +2 |
Seat projections
| Polling firm/Link | Fieldwork date | Date published | Sample size | Margin of Error | Grand Alliance | BNP+ | JaPa (Ershad) | KSJL | BJP (Naziur) | Trinomool BNP | Islami Andolan | Neither/Don't know/Others | Majority | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awami League | Workers Party | JaSaD (Inu) | JP (Manju) | BNP | Jamaat | LDP (Oli) | |||||||||||||
| Bangladesh Economic Association | April–October 2023 | 26 Oct 2023 | 148–166 | — | — | — | 119–150 | 2 | 1 | 11 | — | 1 | — | — | — | Hung | 16 | ||
Foreign Observers
On January 5, 2023, at a meeting attended by heads of missions from about 90 countries, Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary, Masood Bin Momen, invited foreign envoys to be part of the international team of observers for its general elections scheduled for January 7, 2023.[54] A total of 222 observers from various countries, including members from the European Union, the Commonwealth, the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI), the South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF), and other reputable organizations, were present for these polls.[55] After the vote on January 7, 2023, the CEO of the Central Election Commission of Palestine, Hisam M.Y Kuhail, made remarks during a media briefing in Dhaka. "The voting process in all the centers that we visited was very quiet and peaceful," Kuhail said. "The people of your country should be proud of holding such a peaceful election." When asked about the voter turnout, Kuhail avoided the question, stating, "We are here to judge the voting process, whether voters were allowed access to the polls or whether voting took place systematically.[56]
Violence
Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam has told that Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury’s candidacy has been cancelled for violating election norms and for threatening “law enforcement officials” just before polling officially closed. He was charged for these types of allegations in past too.[57]
Results
Results by party (ongoing)
| Party | Popular vote | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Contested | Won | +/− | ||
| Awami League | 298 | 120 | |||||
| Jatiya Party (Ershad) | 286 | 6 | |||||
| Others | 0 | ||||||
| Independents | [to be determined] | 37 | |||||
| Total | 100% | - | 300 | - | |||
| Vote statistics | |||||||
| Valid votes | |||||||
| Invalid votes | |||||||
| Votes cast/ turnout | |||||||
| Abstentions | |||||||
| Registered voters | |||||||
Constituency-wise
See also
Notes
References
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- ^ "Bangladesh Elections Live Updates: Counting Of Votes Off, 40% Voter Turnout". NDTV. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
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- ^ "12th national polls on 7 January". The Business Standard. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
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- ^ a b c Kamruzzaman, Md. (17 January 2023). "Bangladesh's main opposition party demands formation of caretaker government ahead of polls". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ "Bangladesh will never allow an unelected government again, says Hasina". BDNews24. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ "Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Arrested". NPR. 16 July 2007.
- ^ "Minister: Khaleda Zia's release will be revoked if she participates in politics". Dhaka Tribune. 11 June 2023.
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- ^ "Tarique Rahman acting chairman: BNP leader". The Daily Star. 8 February 2018.
- ^ "Adequate data found to try Jamaat for war crimes". Bangladesh Post. 11 June 2023.
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- ^ "Kazi Habibul Awal, a law professor and former secretary, is the new chief of Election Commission". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
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- ^ "Bangladesh Development Party applies to EC for registration". The Business Standard. 26 October 2022.
- ^ "How Are Bangladesh's Political Parties Preparing for the Next General Elections?". The Wire. 29 December 2022.
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- ^ "The United States' stake in free and fair elections in Bangladesh". Foreign Policy News. 11 June 2023.
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- ^ "Bangladesh's General Election: Opposition Boycott Sparks Tension". 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Announcement of visa policy to promote democratic elections in Bangladesh". 24 May 2023.
- ^ "The United States' stake in free and fair elections in Bangladesh". Foreign Policy News. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "US will not hesitate to engage in issues and areas of its interests: Vedant Patel". Prothom Alo. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "US to send pre-election monitoring team to Bangladesh in October". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ a b "UN denounces Bangladesh pre-election violence". The Daily Star. Agence France-Presse. 4 August 2023.
- ^ Mahfuz Anam (4 August 2023). "Column by Mahfuz Anam: 'Gladiatorial' street contests and prospects of fair elections". The Daily Star (Opinion). Dhaka.
- ^ "BNP is deadlier than dengue: info minister". The Daily Star. UNB. 4 August 2023.
- ^ "AL-led 14-party alliance to hold rally on Aug 7". The Daily Star. Dhaka. 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Prime Minister Hasina urges Commonwealth to send diversified election observers for Bangladesh general elections". 7 May 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ "Your letter demanding UN intervention in Bangladesh election makes it seem like you are playing in the hands of terrorists". UNB. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ "BNP refuses to meet foreign election monitoring delegation". Risingbd.com. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "EU won't send observeration mission". The Daily Star. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "EU not sending observers for next JS polls, cites 'budgetary constraints'". The Business Standard. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ Dhaka, Staff Correspondent (19 October 2023). "EU to send 4-member technical team to observe election". en.prothomalo.com. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ "AL announces list of candidates for 2024 national polls". The Business Standard. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
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