After months of uncertainty, civil unrest, and electoral catastrophes, the situation in Bangladesh took a turn for the better over the weekend. When I left work on Friday, conditions seemed quite unstable, with the resignation of the head of the caretaker government and the imposition of a state of emergency. The political opposition, headed by the Awami League, was refusing to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, which, according to the Constitution, had to take place within three months of the end of the previous government’s term. One of the main problems cited by the opposition was that the voter list contained 14 million fake names.
However, over the weekend, the instillation of a new interim government appeased the Awami League, which agreed to participate in the upcoming elections.
[A series of articles in the New York Times chronicle these events: 3 Days of Ballot Protests Grip Bangladesh, In Bangladesh, State of Emergency and Election Delay, and Bangladesh Opposition Agrees to Take Part in Election.]
Why the sudden turn to political cooperation and democratic problem-solving? It could be that the United Nations warned that the undemocratic behavior exhibited by Bangladesh’s leadership could threaten Bangladesh’s participation in peacekeeping missions – missions that provide the country with much-needed income. And while that is a cynical conclusion, it may be partly true.
Overall, however, I think that this positive development is the result of Bangladesh’s leadership employing the democratic process. Instead of holding on to power, the head of the caretaker government stepped down and a well-respected and neutral figure was appointed in his place. The new caretaker chief, Fakhruddin Ahmed, has promised to reform the election commission, fix the voter list, and set a date for the upcoming elections. More importantly, he is going to hold talks between Bangladesh’s two major opposing political parties to build consensus. This is a proactive step that will help to reduce the animosity between the parties and propagate the idea that crises can be averted when political parties work within the democratic political process to resolve disputes.
It will be interesting to see if the promised reforms are carried out and free and fair elections are held. Hopefully, the success of resolving this past crisis will provide the momentum needed to maintain democratic stability in Bangladesh.
Published Date: January 16, 2007