Tarique Rahman, the exiled opposition leader, has labelled the election in Bangladesh as a ‘sham’

Exiled opposition leader Tarique Rahman accuses Bangladesh’s upcoming election of being a sham to consolidate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s power and stifle real opposition. Rahman, who leads the largest opposition party, has been prominent since his mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, was jailed in 2018. He believes this election is a façade to prolong Hasina’s rule and suppress any authentic dissent.

Six years ago, he was found guilty in absentia for orchestrating a deadly grenade attack on a campaign rally and was handed a life sentence. Rahman vehemently denies the accusation, claiming it to be a complete fabrication. Last year, his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) organized a prolonged protest campaign, demanding the resignation of the prime minister. Unfortunately, this resulted in the deaths of at least 11 individuals and the arrest of numerous BNP supporters. In an interview with the AFP news agency, Rahman, who is currently residing in London, expressed his disapproval of participating in an election with a predetermined outcome. He labelled the upcoming election in Bangladesh as a farce. According to Rahman, engaging in an election under the leadership of Hasina would undermine the sacrifices made by those who fought, bled, and even lost their lives for the sake of democracy in Bangladesh.

Rahman criticized the BNP and other parties for participating in an election that was heavily biased in favour of the ruling Awami League. He accused the Awami League of fielding opposition candidates who were aligned with the ruling party, thus undermining the legitimacy of the election. According to Rahman, this created an illusion of competition when in reality, the results were already predetermined. He also alleged that the Awami League was using threats to coerce people into voting for their candidates by withholding government benefits from those who didn’t comply.

The concerns raised by the United States and other countries about the conduct of the election further highlight the doubts surrounding its fairness. Despite being in power since 2009, Hasina has repeatedly promised that this election would be credible, despite previous polls in 2014 and 2018 being marred by irregularities. She urged people to go to the polling stations and cast their votes in the morning to showcase to the world that the election was being held in a free and fair manner. Rahman and Hasina’s families have dominated Bangladesh’s political landscape since 1971, with only a 12-year interruption. Ziaur Rahman, Rahman’s father, took control after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s assassination and served as president until his own assassination in 1981. Despite once joining forces, Zia and Hasina became bitter rivals in the 1990s. Rahman has maintained a low profile in London since leaving Bangladesh, only appearing at select events. However, with Zia imprisoned and Rahman now leading the opposition party, he communicates with party members through video and phone conferences.

The BNP, led by Rahman, carried out disruptive actions last year, demanding Hasina’s resignation and a neutral caretaker government for the election. Violence erupted during a rally in October, resulting in bloodshed. The BNP claimed 25,000 arrests, while the government stated 11,000. Hasina accused Rahman of orchestrating the violence and threatened to ban the BNP. Rahman denied the accusations and argued the arson attacks were a pretext for the government’s crackdown. Rahman has a controversial political career, described as corrupt and feared. He faced corruption allegations during his mother’s premiership and was convicted while in exile. He was also convicted abroad for organizing a grenade attack on a political rally in 2004. Rahman believes the verdict was politically motivated and accused Hasina of rewarding the police officer who led the investigation against him. Rahman claims he is being targeted without substantial evidence and criticizes the current regime.

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