'Deeply flawed' Bangladesh polls endanger stability: US

Washington: The US today expressed concern over political developments in Bangladesh, noting that recent “deeply flawed” polls which were boycotted by the opposition could have serious ramifications for stability in the country and the region. Noting that the country faces a worrisome political situation, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Desai Biswal said, “On January 5, the government held a deeply flawed election in which one of the two major political parties did not participate.” [caption id=“attachment_1384701” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  AFP[/caption] As a result, over half of the 300 members of parliament were elected unopposed, and most of the rest faced only token opposition, she said while testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “The election did not credibly express the will of the Bangladeshi people. This could have serious ramifications for stability in Bangladesh and the region,” Biswal said. Biswal, who made her first trip to Bangladesh last November, said she had urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia to find a credible way forward toward participatory elections. “We also supported UN efforts to facilitate dialogue between the parties, which regrettably did not succeed,” shesaid. Immediately after the election, the US issued a strong statement that called for immediate dialogue to agree on new elections as soon as possible. Biswal expressed hope that Bangladesh’s leaders would take the right steps to support democratic values. “We hope that Bangladesh’s political and economic leaders will take the right steps to support democratic values, foreign direct investment, and a growing economy. Bangladesh has come too far and has too much to lose,” she said. Biswal further said Bangladesh is at a critical juncture. Identifying it as a country of strategic importance to the US, she said with an annual growth rate of about six percent, Bangladesh is an economic success story, an increasingly important trading partner and destination for US investment. “As the seventh-largest country by population and third-largest Muslim-majority nation, its moderate, secular democracy is one that we value and support,” she said. Noting that political violence poses the greatest threat to the Bangladeshi people themselves, Biswal called on the country’s leadership to provide space that enables peaceful expression of political views. “At the same time, we call upon the opposition to use such space responsibly,” she said. Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the committee, said that he had written to Bangladesh’s political leaders telling them that the political deadlock would further weaken the confidence of international investors and strongly urged that they begin negotiations on new elections that are free, fair, peaceful and inclusive. PTI