Sharing a slew of recommendations, the bipartisan and international pre-election delegation from International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) on Sunday said that it is the people of Bangladesh who will ultimately “determine the credibility and legitimacy” of their elections and their country’s democratic development.
The delegation from the US offered their pre-election statement in the "spirit of supporting and strengthening" democratic institutions in Bangladesh and said the upcoming national election in Bangladesh is a “litmus test” for democracy in the country.
“We feel the primary problem is lack of constructive engagement among key political actors,” said Karl F Inderfurth (NDI Co-Chair).
“The best way to end the stalemate is through good faith dialogue, in the run-up to the January 2024 elections and beyond.”
The delegation offered the recommendations below as a roadmap for progress toward credible, inclusive, participatory, and nonviolent elections that can advance Bangladesh’s democracy.
They are outlined as
Moderate rhetoric and engage in open and substantive dialogue on key election issues.
Protect freedom of expression and ensure an open civic space where dissent is respected.
Commit to nonviolence and hold perpetrators of political violence accountable.
Create conditions to allow all parties to engage in meaningful political competition, including bolstering independent election management.
Promote a culture of inclusive and active electoral participation among citizens.
To develop these recommendations, the delegation met with government officials; the Bangladesh Election Commission; party leaders from across the political spectrum; civil society representatives; current and former women members of parliament; representatives of organizations engaging with youth, persons with disabilities and religious minorities; media representatives; members of the legal community; and representatives of the international and diplomatic communities.
“We appreciate all those who shared their views freely about the challenges and opportunities that exist in Bangladesh for holding inclusive, participatory, and nonviolent elections,” said Bonnie Glick (IRI Co-Chair).
“We came away from these conversations with concerns about the election environment, but hopeful that our recommendations can help to improve the process.”
IRI and NDI conducted the mission in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.
Journalists and media outlets should be free to critically cover all political parties, government actors, and issues in Bangladesh and citizens should be free to express themselves, both without fear of retaliation, according to a joint statement released on Sunday.
Civil society organizations and community-based organizations, particularly those that work on democracy and human rights issues, should not face threats to curtail or otherwise limit their activities, they said.
The new Cyber Security Act should not be misused or abused, including to target dissenting speech; the government should continue to seek input from citizens and other stakeholders on its implementation, the statement said.
Election regulations should ensure that citizen observers can access all aspects of the election process, in accordance with the global norms enumerated in the Declaration of Global Principles and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations, said the joint statement.
The delegation wants to see commitment to nonviolence and hold perpetrators of political violence accountable.
"Political party leaders and activists should not face violence and should receive equal protection from state authorities when engaging in legal and nonviolent political activities," reads the statement.
All parties should publicly commit to nonviolence and condemn violence committed by their own party members or supporters, they said.
All parties should subscribe to a multiparty code of conduct committing to electoral nonviolence.
Political parties and other stakeholders should take steps to prevent, identify and address online and offline violence against women in elections.
They support creating conditions to allow all parties to engage in meaningful political competition, including bolstering independent election management.
They also laid emphasis on strengthening safeguards for the independence and political neutrality of the Election Commission, and empowering it with increased staffing and funding.
The Election Commission should provide all reasonable accommodations to ensure the full participation of people with disabilities in the election process, the joint statement noted.
From October 8 to 11, 2023, the IRI and NDI deployed a bipartisan, international delegation to provide an independent and impartial assessment of electoral preparations ahead of Bangladesh's upcoming 12th parliamentary election; examine factors that could affect the integrity and viability of the electoral process; and offer recommendations that could help improve the prospects for inclusive, transparent, and peaceful elections and public confidence in the process.
Bangladesh’s robust economic growth and strong tradition of democratic values have set a strong foundation for the country to achieve its 2041 vision of becoming a developed country, the delegation said.
However, they said, the current political environment presents several challenges to electoral integrity, including uncompromising and zero-sum politics, highly charged rhetoric, political violence, a widespread climate of uncertainty and fear, contracting civic space and freedom of expression, and a trust deficit among citizens, political leaders, and other stakeholders.
Women, youth, and other marginalized groups also face significant barriers to participation, according to the statement.
Bangladesh is at a crossroads and the upcoming elections provide a litmus test for the country’s commitment to a democratic, participatory, and competitive political process, they said.
Members of the joint delegation included Bonnie Glick (IRI Co-Chair), former Deputy USAID Administrator; Karl F Inderfurth (NDI Co-Chair), former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs; Maria Chin Abdullah, former Member of the House of Representatives, Malaysia; Jamil Jaffer, former Associate Counsel to the President of the United States; Johanna Kao, IRI Senior Director, Asia-Pacific Division; and Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI Regional Director, Asia-Pacific.
The delegates were joined by technical and country experts from NDI and IRI.
