Ahead of the Bangladesh General Election, the ruling party’s call for preparations and the opposition party’s movement has begun to spread in the political arena, and the rumor that the vote will be held is also spreading.
The Election Commission has also made an action plan but has not revealed anything about the schedule. On the basis of the rules of constitutional obligation, the political circles have been talking about voting in December or January for several days.
Bangladesh Election Date 2024
The election commission said that the parliamentary elections of Bangladesh will be held in the first week of January. Election Commissioner of Bangladesh Anichur Rahman said that all measures will be taken for free, credible and fair elections.
Meanwhile, various European countries, including America, are already putting ‘pressure’ on holding fair and free elections in Bangladesh.
The Election Commission of Bangladesh has not yet announced the final date for the 12th parliamentary elections. In this context, the Election Commissioner retired Brigadier General. Ahsan Habib Khan said that discussions have already been done several times and more will be done if necessary.
Basically a date will be finalized based on the opinion of all the political parties. But now if anyone comments about any date it will be imaginary. As long as the Election Commission does not announce any date, we cannot say for sure about the date.
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2024 Bangladeshi General Election
According to the constitution, elections must be held within 90 days before the end of the term of parliament. The term of the current parliament will end on January 29, 2024. Because the first session of the 11th Parliament started on January 30, 2019. Accordingly, the polls should be held between November 2024 and January 29, 2024.
The polling date is fixed taking into account the maximum period of three weeks for submission and selection of nomination papers, withdrawal deadline and circulation of votes as per the rules. For this reason, 40-45 days are given from the announcement of the schedule to the vote. As such, there is general discussion that the polling date may be fixed in the last week of December or the first half of January.
Based on the consensus of all opposition parties, Justice Sahabuddin Ahmad formed an ‘impartial non-partisan caretaker’ government, whose sole duty was to hold a fair election within three months.
The contentious sixth national election, held in 1996 under the BNP government on February 15th, was boycotted by the opposition parties, notably the Awami League. The caretaker government system was subsequently added to the constitution with the primary purpose of holding a presidential election.
But in May 2011, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court ruled that the system was unjust and unconstitutional. Then, the previous system was reinstated after the fifteenth amendment eliminated the electoral caretaker government system. The Supreme Court did rule that system acceptable for the upcoming two presidential elections.
| Leader | Party | Last election | Current seats |
Sheikh Hasina |
Awami League | 74.63%, 257 seats | 261 |
|
|
BNP | 13.06%, 5 seats | 0 |
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Jatiya Party | 5.22%, 22 seats | 23 |
|
|
IAB | 1.47%, 0 seats | 0 |
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Bangladesh Electoral system
Members of the 300 constituencies of the National Assembly are elected through direct voting by all adult citizens nationwide. The members elected in this direct vote again elect the members of the 50 reserved women’s seats of the National Assembly by voting themselves.
Although elected regionally, these 350 members of the National Assembly represent the entire country. They make laws and take other policy decisions for the country. The government of the country is formed with the support of the majority of the members of this parliament. In these aspects, this is our most important election at the national level.
Who can Participate:
- A person shall be entitled to be registered as a voter in any constituency designated for the election of Parliament, if
- He became a citizen of Bangladesh;
- He is not less than eighteen years of age;
- the declaration of him as a natural person by a competent court is not upheld;
- he is a resident of that constituency or is deemed by law to be a resident of that constituency;
- He has not been convicted of any offense under the Bangladesh Conspiracy Order, 1972.
Bangladesh Election 2024 Results
The results of the 12th Parliament elections cannot be said yet as the elections have not yet been held. It is expected that the much awaited 12th National Assembly elections will be held at the end of this year or in January itself.
The term of the current ruling party will end on January 29. No results so far though many are commenting. However, it is not yet possible to say whether the current government will return to power or a new party will be elected by popular vote. Now it’s just a matter of time.
Historical Overview of Bangladesh National Elections
The independence movement of Bangladesh started with the rejection of the election results. Had the Pakistani ruling class accepted the results of the 1970 elections, the history of Bangladesh might have been written differently.
The unfortunate aspect is that after the independence of Bangladesh, democracy did not gain stability, but in the name of democracy, the people of this country have seen various kinds of elections. These ranged from one-sided elections with no opposition to unopposed elections in majority seats such as forming the government.
After independence, a total of 11 National Parliament elections were held, including the 11th Parliament election. In independent Bangladesh’s 11 national parliamentary elections, three political parties came to power.
In the meantime, Awami League and BNP have come to power four times, but Awami League is going to form the government for the fifth time through victory in the 11th National Parliament Election. This is going to be a new record for the country’s oldest team. Earlier, the two main political parties shared the record of forming the government four times.
The first national parliamentary election was held on March 7, 1973. In this election, Bangladesh Awami League won 293 seats out of 300 seats with the boat symbol and formed the government. Also, JSD 1, Bangladesh Jatiya League 1 and independent candidates won 5 seats. In the first parliament, 11 candidates were elected unopposed.
On February 18, 1979, the second parliamentary election was held during Ziaul Rahman’s tenure. BNP won 207 seats. Awami League participated in this election divided into two parts.
On May 7, 1986, the third parliamentary election was held. Jatiya Party won 153 seats in this election. Some political parties including BNP boycotted this election.
The fourth parliamentary election was held on March 3, 1988. Jatiya Party won 251 seats in the election. Most of the political parties including Awami League, BNP, CPB boycotted this election.
On February 27, 1991, the Fifth National Assembly was elected. BNP won 140 seats and formed the government.
The Sixth National Parliament election was held on 15 February 1996. In the election, BNP won 278 seats, Freedom Party won 1 seat and independent candidates won 10 seats. Almost all opposition parties including Awami League National Party boycotted this election. As a result, another election has to be held in three to five months.
Awami League won 146 seats in the seventh parliamentary election held on June 12, 1996 and formed the government. BNP won 193 seats in the 8th parliamentary elections on 1 October 2001.
Awami League won 230 seats in the 9th Parliament held on December 29, 2008.
On January 5, 2014, the 10th National Parliament election of Bangladesh was held. Out of 300 constituencies, 153 candidates were elected unopposed in this election. Elections were held in the remaining 147 seats. Most of the political parties, including the main opposition BNP, boycotted the election.
The 11th National Parliament election was held on December 30, 2018. All 39 registered parties participated in this election. The total number of candidates in the election was 1 thousand 861. Among them, 1 thousand 733 people from political parties and 128 participated as independent candidates.
The first national parliament election in Bangladesh was held on March 7, 1973. The last 11th Parliament election was held on 30th December 2018. Awami League has won five times, BNP four times and Jatiya Party twice by winning the 11th National Assembly elections. Awami League first, seventh, ninth, among them.
10th and 11th parliaments and BNP won in the second, fifth, sixth and eighth parliaments. On the other hand, the Jatiya Party won the third and fourth parliamentary elections. Earlier, Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party formed the government twice in a row, but no party could form the government three times in a row. This time Awami League is going to form the government for the third consecutive time.
In 2018 election, the Election Commission promised to ensure the security of all the polling stations across the country on the polling day. But several candidates of BNP and their alliance Jatiya Oikya Front from many constituencies tried to raise various complaints about the polling station to the media the night before the polls.
Bangladesh 2024 Elections Latest News Update
The Election Commission of Bangladesh is an independent and impartial organization. The President forms and appoints the Election Commission as per the Constitution. The main responsibility of the Election Commission is to conduct various types of elections in an impartial manner.
But the debate about the Election Commission of Bangladesh has not ended even today. All but two commissions have seen political dissent against them.
BNP will participate in the twelfth parliamentary elections under the current Election Commission. The party also said that it is preparing to field candidates in all 300 seats. The leaders of the party said these things in a meeting with the Election Commission. Meanwhile, Election Commission has assured BNP that all measures will be taken to ensure equal opportunities for all.
A lot of obstacles must be solved by the Bangladesh Election Commission in 2024 if the elections are to be free and fair. These difficulties include maintaining the accuracy of the election rolls, combating voter fraud, and ensuring that all political parties are treated equally.
The election preparations are being watched by the international community. Concerns about the lack of development in securing an impartial caretaker government have been made by the United States, the European Union, and other nations. Additionally, they have urged the administration to make sure that the elections are trustworthy, fair, and free.
Last Word
General elections in Bangladesh are expected to take place by January 2024. Conflicts between and among political parties are already on the rise over concerns about the potential legitimacy of the elections, and journalists have repeatedly found themselves in the crosshairs. In anticipation of further violence, Bangladeshi police have acquired significant quantities of shotgun ammunition, tear gas canisters, sound grenades, and sniper guns.
The democracy of Bangladesh will be put to the test in the approaching general elections. The results of the elections will significantly affect the nation’s future. In order to accurately reflect the will of the people, it is crucial that the elections be conducted freely and fairly.
