2014 Elections in Bangladesh

2014 Elections in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT:

This paper deals with two-party rivalry in Bangladesh. Due to parties rivalries in Bangladesh the elections of 2014 proved to be bloody in which many innocent people also lost their lives.

I have divided this paper in some sections. In first part I have discussed party system and examples of two party rivalries. In second part the whole background of Bangladesh is described. And thirdly I have described system of care taker government in world and then the same system in Bangladesh and its abolishment. Finally, elections of 2014 which were bloody elections of Bangladesh are discussed. In this paper I have also mentioned some Human Rights Watch’s reports which are related to the violence. Actions took by security forces against opposition are also explored in this paper. At the end of the paper effects on economy and world criticisms which came after elections is also discussed.

To complete this paper I have used many authentic journals, websites, and Human Rights Watch reports.    

INTRODUCTION:

The election in Bangladesh 2014 was of great violence and the reason behind it was the rivalry between two ruling parties of Bangladesh Awami League (AL) and Bangladesh National Party (BNP). Before discussing the election of 2014 in Bangladesh it is necessary to understand the system of political parties.

Political parties have become standard mass organizations in modern political systems. A political party defined by Emmanuel as, “an association of people under a specific name whose primary purposes are the achievement and exercise of governmental power.” Competitive party systems are regarded as essential pre-requisites of democracies. Political parties are therefore essential institutions in modern democratic politics.^[1] In many countries of the world two- party system is exist.  

Two-party system, as the title indicates, this is a state in which just two parties dominate. Other parties might exist but they have no political importance. For example, America has the most obvious two-party political system with the Republicans and Democrats dominating the political scene. In this system the major disadvantage is rivalry between two major parties which damage any country’s peace, economy, and law and order etc. The most recent example of two parties’ rivalries is of Nigeria. In the general election of 2015 of Nigeria, political activities in Gombe state have continue to heighten with intense political rivalry between two political parties, the ruling People’s Democratic Party and the major opposition party the All Progressive Change APC. Political activities by the two opposition parties have continue to pose great threat to the  peaceful coexistence of people in the state, as supporters of the different political parties have been reportedly engage in rivalry clash that usually lead to destruction of properties and terror   among party followers.^[2]

BACKGROUND:  

Bangladesh got independence in 1971. The first government of the new nation of Bangladesh was formed in Dhaka with Justice Abu Sayeed Choudhury as President, and Sheikh Mujib ur Rehman, who was released from Pakistani prison in early 1972 as Prime Minister. Bangladesh has a history of bitter political rivalries, coups and counter-coups since gaining its independence. Despite serious problems related to a defective political system, weak governance, and extensive corruption, Bangladesh remains one of the few democracies in the Muslim world. Bangladeshis regard democracy as an important legacy of their bloody war for independence, and they vote in large numbers. However, democratic institutions and practices remain weak.^[3] Since its independence two parties dominate political life in Bangladesh: the Awami League (AL), currently in power and headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The rivalry between the two main parties is longstanding, bitter, personal, and often turns violent. Each party also has active student wings (Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal for BNP and Bangladesh Chhatra League for AL), whose members are often implicated in violent attacks and clashes. A third party, Jamaat-e-Islami, is the largest Islamist political party and an ally of the BNP.^[4] Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujib ur Rehman, formed the first government. In 1972, it enacted a constitution that, like the party’s founding ideology, drew on the principles of democracy, nationalism, socialism and secularism. Sheikh Mujib ur Rehman and most of his family were killed by army personnel in the 15 August 1975 coup, inaugurating decades of authoritarian rule amid coups and counter- coups that lasted until 1990. His daughter, Sheikh Hasina Wajid, took over the leadership and remains the head of the Awami League.