EXPERT COMMENT
The country has enjoyed economic development and stability, but with opposition parties banned and protest continuing, a peaceful election is uncertain.
Bangladesh's general election, scheduled for January 7, will likely be plagued by controversy and violence.
Growing anti-government sentiment, rooted in calls for the reinstatement of a neutral caretaker government abolished in 2013, has become intertwined with the grievances of the country's strategically important textile sector.
Thousands of opposition leaders have been arrested following a major rally in October. This comes amid growing frictions with the West: the US imposed visa restrictions on several Bangladeshi nationals in 2021 for ‘undermining the democratic election process' and the 2023 Civicus Monitor Report has recently downgraded Bangladesh's civic space to ‘closed', its lowest category.
Bangladesh's 2018 general election was not considered free and fair by many observers, following a near unanimous victory for the ruling Awami League party, which secured 293 of 300 seats.
The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hopes to challenge allegations of democratic backsliding by showing it is capable of holding a free and fair election in January. Over two dozen political parties have registered to participate in the 2024 election and over 100 observers will monitor the proceedings.
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