2001 Bangladeshi general election

Background

The Seventh Parliament headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was dissolved on 13 July 2001, having completed its designated 5-year term (the first parliamentary administration to ever do so) and power was transferred to the caretaker government headed by Justice Latifur Rahman.

Shortly after being sworn in as Chief Advisor, Latifur Rahman initiated a major administrative reshuffle, removing 13 secretaries, including the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office. The move generated significant public and political discussion at the time. The BNP demanded a crackdown on illegal arms and the arrest of criminals prior to the general election. During a meeting with journalists, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia expressed confidence in winning a two-thirds majority, or at the very least, a clear majority. The caretaker government soon launched a nationwide special operation, dividing the country into 68 sectors to carry out the campaign. Meanwhile, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina raised concerns about the neutrality of the caretaker government during the election campaign, accusing it of acting in alignment with BNP directives.

Electoral system

The 300 members of the Jatiya Sangsad were elected by first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies. The law providing for 30 seats reserved for women had expired prior to the elections.

Conduct

The international and national monitors declared the polling free and fair despite the Awami League alleging massive vote rigging by the BNP. The accusation was denied by the Chief Election Commissioner, who declared the charges "baseless". International observers, from the European Union, the United Nations and the Carter Center of former US President Jimmy Carter, also praised the heavy voter turnout, which was 75%.

Results

The BNP were the clear winners in terms of seats, winning a secure majority with 193 of the 300 seats. BNP's allied parties Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Jatiya Party (Manju) and Islami Oikya Jote also won a combined 23 seats, bringing the alliance total to 216 seats. As a result of the first-past-the-post voting system in Bangladesh, Awami League only secured 62 seats, despite a difference in popular vote share of only ≈1.4%. Voter turnout was very high at 75%.

Of the 300 seats, only seven were won by women.

The results were highly disproportionate, with the BNP winning 131 more seats than the Awami League despite their popular vote total differing by less than one percentage point.

Aftermath

There were reports of violence targeting minority Hindus in the immediate wake of the elections.

With a clear majority BNP leader Khaleda Zia was invited to form a government and on 10 October 2001, was sworn in as Prime Minister and formed her Cabinet, which included members of her allied parties. The first sitting of the Eighth Parliament occurred on 28 October 2001 with Jamiruddin Sircar as its new Speaker.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina initially remained firm in her decision not to join the newly elected parliament. She rejected the election results, alleging large-scale rigging, and announced a half-day nationwide blockade along with other protest programmes. Quoting her, The Daily Sangbad reported her saying that the Four-Party Alliance had secured a two-thirds majority, making the AL’s presence in parliament inconsequential, and that the party would continue its struggle to protect people's right to vote. The Awami League strongly criticized outgoing Chief Advisor Latifur Rahman, although in his farewell address, he maintained that his caretaker government had acted impartially. While Awami League MPs eventually took their oaths, the party did not immediately decide on joining parliamentary sessions. Hasina alleged that Awami League leaders, activists, and minorities across the country were being targeted with violence, killings, and looting by ruling party supporters. Amidst continuing political tensions, the Awami League ultimately decided to join parliament.

In 2004, a constitutional amendment was passed reinstating the reserved seats for women and increasing the number from 30 to 45. The seats were now allocated based on the proportion of seats won by each party rather than being elected by directly elected MPs. The reserved seats were to be allocated on 6 September 2005 but the Awami League refused to nominate candidates for the nine seats the party was entitled to in protest at the seats not being directly elected. On 2 October the nine vacant seats were reallocated, of which six went to the BNP. After the reallocation, the BNP had 36 reserved seats, Islami Jatiya Oikya Front four, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami three and the Bangladesh Jatiya Party and Islami Oikya Jote one each.

Zia's administration completed a full five-year term, running from 28 October 2001 to 27 October 2006. However, disputes over the selection of a caretaker government, with disagreements between the parties over their neutrality, led to the 2006–08 Bangladeshi political crisis, which eventually resulted in military intervention. New elections were not held until December 2008.

References

References

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