Amid Protests For Electoral Reform, Will Bangladesh Vote In February?

Ahead of elections in Bangladesh next year, an alliance of hardline Islamic parties is hitting the streets posing a fresh challenge to Bangladesh's fragile law and order situation. The main Opposition party during the Sheikh Hasina regime, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) does not want to delay elections in the country and is opposing the demand of the Islamist grouping whose actions could delay elections.

The Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and other Islamist parties are holding political rallies, processions, and demonstrations demanding introduction of a proportional representation system in parliamentary elections. Alongside Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Khelafat Majlis, Nezame Islam Party, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party have joined the demonstrations.

In proportional representation (PR), the distribution of seats corresponds closely with the proportion of the total votes cast for each party or individual candidate. It is seen as an alternative to the first past the post system which many describe as tilted towards majoritarian voting systems as a single-member gets elected from electoral areas. Electoral experts say the first past the post system tends to produce disproportionate outcomes and favours of larger political groups.

PR systems often offer a better chance of representation to smaller parties and groups and the hardline Jamaat-E-Islami Bangladesh which has had limited electoral success in Bangladesh is trying to gain more political power through the proportional representation system.

The Jamaat is using the July Charter to argue its case but the fresh round of protests could lead to anarchy and eventually delay the elections, further delaying Bangladesh's return to normalcy and an elected government. The BNP is against any delay in elections and says demands such as proportional representation in elections are not good for democracy.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has criticised the joint street programmes announced by the Islamic parties.

"I think such programmes are unnecessary. The talks (with the Consensus Commission) have not ended yet. Talks are still going on. At a time when discussions are underway, calling such programmes only means creating unnecessary pressure," Bangladesh daily Prothom Alo quoted him as saying.

"In my view, this (movement by Islamic parties) is neither good for democracy nor helpful for taking the right decisions," Fakhrul added, according to the publication.

The Islamist parties are demanding a full implementation of the July Charter and holding the national elections based on it, with the proportional representation system in both parliamentary houses of Bangladesh.

Political analysts and Bangladesh watchers say the Jamaat-E-Islami Bangladesh and other Islamist parties are eyeing power and want to delay elections as the BNP is the front-runner to win the elections in the absence of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League which was banned from contesting elections by the unelected interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

Bangladesh has also seen violence against the minority communities in the country. The Hindu population there is concerned over the rising influence of hardline Islamic parties. According to Bangladesh's 2022 census, Hindus comprise around 8 per cent of the total population with their numbers estimated to be around 13 million, a sharp drop from the 22 per cent around the time of partition of India.