DHAKA: Tens of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh’s main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), gathered in the capital, defying fears of arrest ahead of the country’s national election scheduled for January 7.
The BNP, whose top leadership is either jailed or in exile, demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, calling for a neutral government to oversee the upcoming polls, which the opposition has decided to boycott.
Despite the challenges, many BNP leaders and activists who have been in hiding since the police crackdown on an anti-government protest on October 28 joined the Victory Day rally. Some supporters and activists gathered in front of the padlocked BNP headquarters entrance in Dhaka, where many senior party leaders are either imprisoned or absconding due to numerous lawsuits filed by the police and the ruling party.
Abdul Moyeen Khan, a former minister and member of the BNP’s highest policy-making body, addressed the rally, stating, “If the government has the courage, it should resign and hold the election under a caretaker government. The government has turned this Victory Day into a day of defeat by killing democracy.”
Bangladesh Govt Accused of Organizing “Stage Managed” Election
BNP activists chanted anti-government slogans while a heavy police presence was observed. The BNP has accused the government of organizing a “stage-managed” election through the use of “dummy candidates” and political maneuvering. Prime Minister Hasina, seeking a fifth term, has rejected opposition calls for her resignation, attributing recent deadly street protests to the BNP.
BNP leaders claimed nearly 10,000 arrests since the election announcement on November 15, while police insisted they detained individuals responsible for violence. Over the past month, dozens of buses and vehicles have been set on fire. Human rights groups accused the Bangladesh government of targeting opposition leaders and supporters.
Under international pressure to ensure free and fair elections, the United States implemented a policy in May allowing for the restriction of visas to Bangladeshis undermining the democratic process. Nazrul Islam Khan, a senior BNP leader, stated, “People do not want this election. People will not go to vote,” branding it a “farcical” election.
