Mohiuddin Alamgir

Bangladesh has been without a competitive election for so long that almost a third of the electorate has never witnessed genuine polls in which voters elect parliamentarians of their choosing.

When Winston Churchill rose at the House of Commons in October 1944, he reminded the world that democracy rests on something really important: “At the bottom of all tribute paid to democracy is the little man and woman, walking into a little booth, with a little pencil making a little cross on paper.”

The upcoming election offers the BNP and the Jamaat-led alliances a rare opportunity to make inroads into constituencies long dominated by the Awami League

The student-led uprising that toppled the Awami League government not only reopened the path to competitive elections and a democratic transition, but also reshaped the slate of candidates aspiring to become parliamentarians.

Experts say this only underscores how far the country still lags in ensuring gender parity in politics

The Election Commission and the government are at loggerheads over whether employees of the republic can campaign for a “yes” vote in the referendum, scheduled to be held along with the February 12 general election.

All 1,981 candidates contesting the upcoming February 12 polls have declared their election expenditures in their affidavits, bringing the combined total to a little under Tk 400 crore.

Mark Tully was among the last of a generation -- not just in terms of the sweeping change they witnessed, from radio to television to the internet and the flood of social media, but also in terms of the respect and trust that reporters once commanded.

The February 12 election is set to be held under the watch of the largest contingent of local and international observers since the 2008 polls.

Mark Tully’s reporting was the first draft of Bangladesh’s independence

Full of promises and hope, the election festivities have finally arrived as the nation prepares for its first truly competitive election since 2008.

There was a time when the boat was not confirmed for the Awami League, nor was the paddy sheaf the BNP’s permanent symbol.

Even in Bangladesh’s fluid political scene, Shah Mohammad Abu Zafar stands out for his frequent shifts in loyalty.

The political atmosphere heats up ahead of the start of formal electioneering, with major parties alleging that the Election Commission and the administration are selectively enforcing rules against their candidates.

Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance, which aimed at mobilising Islamist votes, is set to have a negative effect on the alliance’s “one-box policy”.

The Election Commission’s first-ever initiative to digitally register Bangladeshi expatriates and allow them to vote through postal ballots has sparked controversy, with the BNP raising concerns over the process.

The last three national elections were orchestrated at the highest levels of the state, with segments of the administration, police, Election Commission, and intelligence agencies mobilised to implement the plans, the inquiry commission on those polls said.

They grew up hearing that voting was their right, only to watch how easily that right could be snatched away in elections widely criticised as “sham polls”.

Inclusion of NCP in alliance further complicates calculation

Women remain largely absent from the electoral race, with 30 of the 51 political parties contesting the upcoming national election fielding no female aspirants at all, Election Commission data shows.