Himal Interviews: Bangladesh’s one-sided parliamentary elections, crackdown on political opposition

Bangladesh’s parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on 7 January. In the run up to the elections, there have been escalating protests led by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party calling for Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to resign and transfer power to a non-partisan caretaker government to ensure a free and fair election. Historically, Bangladesh’s elections have been marred by violence and crackdowns on political opposition. This election has already seen a number of BNP party members and supporters being arrested by the Awami League government, and there are now calls from political opposition to boycott the election altogether. In this edition of Himal Interviews, Assistant Editor Nayantara Narayanan interviews Himal Southasian contributor Anupam Debashis Roy on Bangladesh’s elections, the crackdown on political opposition and the impact of US-imposed visa restrictions. What is the atmosphere in Bangladesh like in the run-up to parliamentary elections? Anupam Debashis Roy’s reading list: Bangladesh’s blueprint for engineering an election - Ali Riaz Is Awami League heading towards a Pyrrhic victory? - Mahfuz Anam The Election Commission’s credibility problem - Badiul Alam Majumdar We are heading towards another one-sided election - Badiul Alam Majumdar Has BNP served its supporters well? - Mahfuz Anam More than meets the eye: Essays on Bangladeshi politics - Ali Riaz