The US and UK say Bangladesh’s elections extending Hasina’s rule were not credible

DHAKA – The United States and the United Kingdom stated the elections that prolonged Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s rule were not credible, loose and truthful.

Both nations, that have industry and building ties with Bangladesh, additionally condemned political violence that preceded Sunday’s election by which Hasina’s celebration gained greater than two-thirds of the parliamentary seats whilst turnout was once low and the principle opposition celebration boycotted.

“The United States remains concerned by the arrests of thousands of political opposition members and by reports of irregularities on elections day. The United States shares the view with other observers that these elections were not free or fair and we regret that not all parties participated,” State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller stated from Washington.

He recommended Bangladesh’s authorities to credibly examine experiences of violence and dangle the ones accountable responsible.

The U.Okay. stated the democratic requirements were not met constantly within the lead-up to the election.

“Democratic elections depend on credible, open, and fair competition. Respect for human rights, rule of law and due process are essential elements of the democratic process. These standards were not consistently met during the election period. We are concerned at the significant number of arrests of opposition party members before polling day,” the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated within the remark.

The U.S. remark stated it stays “committed to partnering with Bangladesh to advance our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, to supporting human rights and civil society in Bangladesh, and to deepening our people-to-people and economic ties.”

Bangladesh is a very powerful spouse of the U.S. pastime within the Indo-Pacific area along side neighboring India amid rising affect of China.

China, Russia, India and every other nations congratulated Hasina for the victory and pledged to proceed to spouse with the South Asian country.

The statements got here after Hasina stated at a news convention Monday that the elections were loose and truthful.

Her ruling Awami League gained 222 seats of 299 contested. Independent applicants took 62, whilst the Jatiya Party, the 3rd greatest, took 11 seats and 3 smaller events were given 3 seats. The lead to one seat remained undeclared. The election of 1 seat was once postponed as a result of a candidate died.

The primary opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by means of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and its allies boycotted the election, and voter turnout was once a low 41.8%. While election day was once quite calm, a wave of violence preceded the vote.

Zia’s celebration stated greater than 20,000 supporters have been arrested since Oct. 28 when an anti-government rally became violent in Dhaka. The authorities disputed the figures and stated arrests were for explicit fees akin to arson and vandalism.

Bangladesh has a historical past of political violence, army coups and assassinations. Hasina and Zia ruled the rustic alternately for a few years, cementing a feud that has since polarized Bangladesh’s politics and fueled violence round elections. This 12 months’s vote raised questions over its credibility when there aren’t any main challengers to take at the incumbent.