Bangladesh: Poll body sets election date for January 7 amid violent protests

The national poll board of Bangladesh said on Wednesday that parliamentary elections would take place on January 7 in the midst of opposition parties staging deadly rallies calling for the prime minister to step down and be replaced by a caretaker government. In the last two weeks, there have been violent protests all around the nation that have left hundreds injured and at least four dead, including a police officer. According to two party leaders who spoke to Reuters earlier this month, the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), whose top leadership is either imprisoned or exiled, has already threatened to boycott the upcoming national election if Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina does not step down and accept a caretaker government. They said that boycotting the election would make any victory for her illegitimate. The 2014 election was also boycotted by the BNP. Hasina’s administration has rebuffed calls from the BNP and other opposition parties for her resignation and for the election to be conducted under an impartial caretaker government. Since taking office in 2009, Hasina has exercised strict control over her government and has been charged with authoritarianism, violating human rights, stifling free speech, repressing dissent, and imprisoning those who disagree with her. BNP leader Khaleda Zia, her principal rival and two-time prime minister, is essentially under house arrest due to what her party claims are false accusations of corruption. Tarique Rahman, her son and the acting chairman of the BNP, is in exile as a result of various accusations made against him, which he disputes. Western nations are pressuring Hasina’s government to hold “free and fair” elections. The main importer of clothing from Bangladesh, the United States, announced in May that it was putting into effect a policy that would prohibit visas for Bangladeshis who interfere with the country’s democratic election process. (With agency inputs)