US And EU Closely Watch Bangladesh Polls As Opposition Stays Away

Except for India, only a few countries have paid attention to all the previous national elections held in Bangladesh. Following the 2018 polls, when there were allegations of large-scale stuffing of ballots by the ruling Awami League, there has been a routine condemnation by the US and the European democracies of foul elections. Besides several statements and allegations against the Sheikh Hasina government after the polls, there were few repercussions and the Hasina government was not questioned on the legitimacy of the polls. 

This time, however, it is different. Since Joe Biden took office in January 2021, promoting democracy and human rights has become an important element of American diplomacy. Yet, when US interests are involved, human rights go for a toss, as is evident by the Biden administration’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, despite the large-scale killing of civilians there. In Bangladesh, Washington is batting for democracy and multi-party elections. It had consistently backed the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s  (BNP) demand for a neutral government to oversee the polls.  

Leading up to the elections the US embassy in Dhaka had been actively engaged in ensuring a level playing field for the opposition. There had been tremendous pressure on Sheikh Hasina from the US. In December 2021, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite paramilitary counter-terror force came under US sanctions. The RAB is notorious for its crackdown on anti-government forces. The opposition regards them as stormtroopers of the Awami League that crackdown on opposition political protests.

In September this year, Washington imposed visa restrictions on Bangladeshi officials, political leaders, the judiciary, and others seen to be "`undermining the democratic election process" in the country. The Prime Minister saw this as a personal challenge to her government. President Biden had pointedly left Bangladesh out of the 2021 and 2023 Democracy Summits, signalling his unhappiness with the state of affairs in that country.

Sheikh Hasina defied US pressure and has gone ahead with the elections without a caretaker government in place. 
There has been much speculation in the Bangladesh press about the US’s support for the BNP and Khaleda Zia. 'Why the sudden interest in Bangladesh?' is a question often asked.

Some speak of Bangladesh as a country in the Indo-Pacific that the US has an interest in having a toe hold in a country where China is fast spreading its wings. Bangladesh has signed on to President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative that China is building. These reports speak of China’s growing footprints in Bangladesh. 

Others in the local press talk of Bangladesh’s strategic location in the Bay of Bengal. "As the Indo-Pacific narrative takes centre stage in global discussions, the Bay of Bengal is emerging as a critical region in the competition for control of sea lanes and global trade. Bangladesh's strategic location at the apex of the Bay of Bengal brings significant responsibilities as a facilitator and connector between regions and competing powers. Bangladesh's role in reviving regional connectivity holds global significance in the Indo-Pacific narrative, making it a key player in shaping the future of the region,’’ writes former diplomat Tariq Karim in the Daily Stars net edition of December 30.

Aparna Pande of the Washington-based Hudson Institute says that Bangladesh also plays a part in the Biden administration's policy of promoting democracy.

“The U.S. interest in Bangladesh’s elections stems primarily from the desire to ensure that free and fair elections are held in that South Asian country. For the Biden administration, democracy and democratic institutions matter and so whether it is Bangladesh, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka, their message will remain the same. There is growing concern in Washington, and this is buttressed by events inside Bangladesh, that in the current climate, elections will not be free and fair,” she explains. Besides, she points to the role of the Bangladeshi diaspora, especially the more articulate BNP supporters, who constantly put pressure on their local US Congressman or Senator to take action and carry their message to the Biden administration that democracy is under threat in Bangladesh.  

“The rise in voices discussing Bangladesh also has to do with the role of diaspora in another country’s domestic politics. The Bangladeshi diaspora is polarized, like other South Asian diasporas, between those who support the ruling party and those who support the other parties. The diaspora, therefore, voices its views in public and private both on the Hill and with the administration," she adds.

The Awami League, since its inception, has had a few problems with the US. During the Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971, the US sent its 7th fleet to the Bay of Bengal to help the Pakistan Army. Sheikh Hasina’s cases against Nobel Prize winner Mohamud Yunus, for his tremendous work through the Grameen Bank had angered Washington. He was a personal friend of Hillary Clinton. Many Awami League supporters believe that the US propped up Yunus to get rid of the two warring Begums.

Hasina has not forgotten that at one time around 2007, when Yunus and other members of civil society decided to form a political party called Citizens Power or Nagorik Shakti. Rumour was rife that the army was backing the party. The idea was to get away from a corrupt political set-up, get Hasina and Khaleda Zia to retire and make a fresh start with a new credible leader like Yunus at the top. It was a short-lived effort and Yunus never participated in elections and the party was dissolved a few months later. But the Sheikh Hasina government since coming to power had heaped cases against him. 

At the beginning of this year, Yunus was sentenced to a six-month jail sentence for flouting labour laws while heading his microfinance bank that has changed the lives of women in the country. The BNP and Amnesty International have both slammed the court order.

Yet, despite all this, the US remains an important economic partner to Bangladesh. It is the largest foreign investor, it is Dhaka’s largest trading partner, and Bangladesh’s garments are the largest market in the US. Bangladesh is praised by both the EU and America for giving shelter to a million Rohingya refugees fleeing the crackdown in Myanmar. The refugees are wary of returning home and have made Bangladesh their home.