Bangladesh General Election, 2008

[bdchamp20]

Please post all election news and information in this thread.

Voting gets underway in less than a week's time. AL looking slight favourites at the moment. Some new faces have been introduced by both parties, only time will tell whether they are different or more of the same.

http://www.newagebd.com/election/
This is a very useful interactive site that I discovered. It has in-depth detailed analysis of past election results.

[bharat]

Originally Posted by bdchamp20
Please post all election news and information in this thread.

Voting gets underway in less than a week's time. AL looking slight favourites at the moment. Some new faces have been introduced by both parties, only time will tell whether they are different or more of the same.

http://www.newagebd.com/election/
This is a very useful interactive site that I discovered. It has in-depth detailed analysis of past election results.

Hey what happened to Dr.Yunus party.Does he stand a chance ? How many seats is his party contensting ?

[bdchamp20]

Originally Posted by bharat
Hey what happened to Dr.Yunus party.Does he stand a chance ? How many seats is his party contensting ?

Well, let's just say that project never took off.

[bdchamp20]

I found this very interesting. NTV was showing a report on a Sherpur constituency, where an uncle is contesting the polls for AL while his nephew is contesting the polls for BNP. Apparently they haven't spoken to each other for 13 years. How intense is our politics?

[bdchamp20]

http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=71814&cid=30

Dhaka, Dec 22 (BDNews24) – With as many as 29 candidates running in more than one constituency, some 55 women are contesting in 60 seats in the forthcoming parliamentary polls slated for Dec 29, the Election Commission says.

"New electoral law does not allow one person to contest in more than three constituencies," points out EC deputy secretary Mihir Sarwar Morshed. In the past candidates could try their luck in as many as five.

Sarwar also mentions that women outnumber men in voter lists this year, breaking all previous records.

The ballots of women and youth voters will be a major force in the upcoming election, Sarwar tells bdnews24.com.

The ninth parliamentary polls sees some 41,236,149 female voters enrolled out of 81,058,698.

This year, both former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, as well as Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad, are contesting in the maximum permitted three constituencies each. Rowshan Ershad has candidacy in two seats.

EC data shows women candidates are running in 60 out of 299 constituencies*. Only eight are contesting as independent candidates.

Hasina is the only candidate under AL's boat symbol running for more than one seat. The AL president is contesting Rangpur-6, Bagerhat-1 and Gopalganj-3.

Under the sheaf of paddy, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia is running for Bogra-6, -7 and Feni-1; Saifur Rahman for Sylhet-1 and Mouloavibazar-3 and Salauddin Qader Chowdhury for Chittagong-2 and -6.

The plough symbol sees HM Ershad running for Rangpur-3, Kurigram-2 and Dhaka-17 and Rowshan Ershad for Gaibandha-5 and Mymensingh-4.

BDNews24©

This election is already more positive than the previous ones

[bdchamp20]

An Al-Jazeera report on the forthcoming elections





Why do they always have to get spots on top of kacha-bazaars? I remember they did a report on war criminals and that was done on top of a ferry in Sadarghat. They are desperate to show Bangladesh as a poverty-stricken country which is making no improvements. Nowadays you can get a shooting spot in Bashundhara City rooftop overlooking modern Dhaka.

[layperson]

Originally Posted by bdchamp20
I found this very interesting. NTV was showing a report on a Sherpur constituency, where an uncle is contesting the polls for AL while his nephew is contesting the polls for BNP. Apparently they haven't spoken to each other for 13 years. How intense is our politics?

Hahahahahahaha, the "uncle" used to live in the same apartment building I lived in from 1994-2008. He is a retired Roads and highways engineer who made loads of "ghush" money. He has been spending his ghush money left and right trying to win the nomination for the first few years and seems like he finally succeeded in getting it. The guy is a typical Govt service person and fits the description of a typical bangladeshi politician to the "T".

[James90]

Where could I go about finding individual policies and basic 'what each party stands for' summaries?

[cricket_pagol]

Originally Posted by bdchamp20

http://www.newagebd.com/election/
This is a very useful interactive site that I discovered. It has in-depth detailed analysis of past election results.

Newage has done a good job with their election portal. Hopefully, they will make some small changes to bring it at par with other news outlets like CNN!

[tonoy]

Originally Posted by James90
Where could I go about finding individual policies and basic 'what each party stands for' summaries?

This is Bangladesh politics. Did you really think they would perform so constructively?

[goru]

I want to know who voted "Other" ... do you really think someone other than those two alliances can win the election? O_o

[Nasif]

Originally Posted by goru
I want to know who voted "Other" ... do you really think someone other than those two alliances can win the election? O_o

There is "None of the above" choice in this year's election ballot!

[goru]

Originally Posted by Nasif
There is "None of the above" choice in this year's election ballot!

I know that, but the question wasn't "who are you voting for?" ... the question is "who do you think will win the election?" ... does anyone here really think neither alliance can win the election because most people will place a "no vote" ?

I mean, if I was actually voting, I'd probably go with a "no vote" too, but I think Awami alliance will most likely win.

[Nasif]

Originally Posted by goru
I know that, but the question wasn't "who are you voting for?" ... the question is "who do you think will win the election?" ... does anyone here really think neither alliance can win the election because most people will place a "no vote" ?

I mean, if I was actually voting, I'd probably go with a "no vote" too, but I think Awami alliance will most likely win.

I wasn't saying that one of the two won't win; rather I was just saying "no vote" choice is pretty good to have in context of Bangladesh. They promoting the "no vote" quite strongly; all sorts of ads are on TV which encourage people to vote "none"

[bdchamp20]

Originally Posted by goru
I want to know who voted "Other" ... do you really think someone other than those two alliances can win the election? O_o

I am guessing it was Bharat since he thought Yunus was contesting the polls.

Hmm you do have a point. Realistically there is no chance of anyone else winning the elections. I should've added no one to the poll as well.

[goru]

Originally Posted by Nasif
rather I was just saying "no vote" choice is pretty good to have in context of Bangladesh.

Yes, but that wasn't what the poll asked...

Originally Posted by Nasif
They promoting the "no vote" quite strongly; all sorts of ads are on TV which encourage people to vote "none"

Well, yes, "no vote" seems to be the words these days... seeing a facebook group pop up every day encouraging it. :X

[goru]

Originally Posted by bdchamp20
Hmm you do have a point. Realistically there is no chance of anyone else winning the elections. I should've added no one to the poll as well.

You mean, should NOT have added anything other than the two alliances in the poll... since it's unrealistic that neither of them will win. The poll as it is, is fine. I just want to know why "Other" voter thinks that neither will win.

[bdchamp20]

Originally Posted by goru
You mean, should NOT have added anything other than the two alliances in the poll... since it's unrealistic that neither of them will win. The poll as it is, is fine. I just want to know why "Other" voter thinks that neither will win.

In case some other party which hasn't joined either of the alliances win. Like Bikolpodhara or the other parties. Though it is highly unlikely it is still possible. And as I said I think it is Bharat who voted for Other as he thought Mohammad Yunus' party was going to win but maybe he didn't realise that Yunus withdrew from politics.

I can see where you are getting confused. The Other option is meant to be 'Other parties' not 'Other results' like no one winning. Everyone would have to tick 'No vote' for a situation like that to occur.

[bdchamp20]

Originally Posted by layperson
Hahahahahahaha, the "uncle" used to live in the same apartment building I lived in from 1994-2008. He is a retired Roads and highways engineer who made loads of "ghush" money. He has been spending his ghush money left and right trying to win the nomination for the first few years and seems like he finally succeeded in getting it. The guy is a typical Govt service person and fits the description of a typical bangladeshi politician to the "T".

Lol, that is the case with 80% of the candidates.

There are only two ways in which you can get nomination from either of the alliances. You have to be related to one of the party's supremos.

Or you have to win the nomination through a bidding war.

[bdchamp20]

Originally Posted by James90
Where could I go about finding individual policies and basic 'what each party stands for' summaries?

http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?cid=3&id=71018

Dream list, but can AL deliver?
MA Taslim

Dhaka, Dec 12 (bdnews24.com)—Bangladesh Awami League delivered its election manifesto with much aplomb on Friday. As is to be expected, the manifesto is full of grievances against the past administrations and rosy promises for the future if AL is elected to power.

It has gone to great length to please the electorate with a long list of desirable milestones that very few patriotic citizens will take issue with.

It's a dream list; but if AL awakens to find itself in power can it deliver? Can anyone deliver?

Promises

AL has promised to make commodity prices, corruption, power, poverty and governance top priority issues.

But, it is surprising (and disappointing) that the party, which has such a strong political base and large following in the educational institutes of the country, did not consider education a priority issue. The neglect of education will hurt a lot of AL sympathisers and others.

There is now an increasing realisation, even among the business community, that the poor state of education and skill is among the most serious constraints to economic development of the country. Indeed a viable solution to the priority issues will remain largely unachievable without an educated and skilled workforce; and this cannot be achieved simply by 100 percent primary enrolment.

The promises that the manifesto makes are actually redundant. Education, science and technology are already receiving the highest budgetary allocation for several years, and education in the public institutes of higher learning such as Dhaka University is already virtually free.

Indeed, the government can save money by making it free and simultaneously dismantling the administration set up to collect the ludicrously minuscule fees from the students.

AL has also not promised to free up the centres of higher learning from the clutches of partisan politics as has been demanded by various sections of the conscious populace for a long time. The long term damage that politicisation has done to our students and society is now self evident.

Prices

One of the populist slogans that the AL has repeatedly succumbed to is 'lowering commodity prices'. The AL has occupied the highest administrative office twice. Its past experience should have suggested that the government of a poor country can do precious little when the prices of imported essential commodities rise in the international market.

Bangladesh imports large quantities of many essential commodities such as wheat, edible oil, onion, pulses, fuel oil and even our principle crop, rice.

The government does not have any mechanism to hold down prices if import costs rise except by extensively subsidising these products. This is not a feasible option with limited budgetary resources.

Fortunately for Bangladesh, essential prices have of late nose-dived in the international market. With a time lag, domestic prices will also come down and remain low until the next bout of international price hike, which is not expected anytime soon.

In other words the next government will not be tested in the market place at least for the time being. AL was lucky last time when international prices of essentials were historically at their lowest level; the incoming government could also get lucky.

Self sufficiency in food production is not a guarantee against food price hikes. Incidentally, the country imported only marginally higher amounts of cereals during the last four-party government as it did during the previous AL coalition government.

Power

Shortages of power have assumed a crisis proportion, and obviously the past administrations have failed to address this critical issue. The AL has promised to raise power generation to 7000 MW by the end of the next term if elected.

This massive increase in power will require equally massive increases in gas output and/or coal production. Indeed the lack of these primary inputs is actually preventing the full utilisation of the current generation capacity.

There is not much indication in the manifesto how power security is going to be achieved, indeed the short para on this point seems to indicate that the authors of the manifesto are unaware of the seriousness of the problem.

Many a people will be disappointed, for example, that the AL has not given a leading role to BAPEX for exploration to reduce foreign monopoly.

The AL has also skirted the thorny issue of coal mining that had brought such grief for the last BNP government. All that AL has promised is the formulation of 'a new coal policy' and 'economic use' of coal. There is no painless way to resolve the coal issue and AL will have to confront the issue head-on if elected.

'Pervasive problems'

The inclusion of corruption and governance as priority issues raises concern about the feasibility of implementation of the AL manifesto. Notwithstanding the common perception, these are very old, deep-seated, and pervasive problems that cannot be removed in a short time.

The present government, with little accountability and unlimited power, has made a mess of corruption-fighting. An accountable democratic government will not find this task any easier.

Corruption is a great equaliser—it transcends parties, positions and wealth. It is very difficult to believe that a popularly elected future AL government will be able to deal even-handedly with its own party leaders (or followers for that matter) who have tainted records in this regard.

Consequently the fight against corruption if initiated at all will be essentially against non-party people, and soon enough it will be perceived as such.

This will not only do a disservice to the purpose of corruption control, but may end up as a very controversial issue that will divide the nation, and perhaps glorify some of the corrupt.

I have no doubt that the people who wrote the manifesto are among the most informed and loyal subjects of the AL. And yet they did not hesitate to let their netri present a manifesto that falsifies the rather well-known fact that it was during her rule that Bangladesh was catapulted to the dubious distinction of being the most corrupt country in the world by TI, which her successor very successfully upheld for several more years.

How much can the netri really rely on her followers for corruption control when the chips are down?

There are few short-term solutions to corruption and governance problems. Much finesse and care will be needed to keep them manageable. The ultimate solution lies in economic growth and the development of appropriate institutions.

It is not clear how the banning of religion-based politics improves governance. Few countries in the world ban religion-based politics. Such a ban only serves to ignite religious passion and thereby strengthens fundamentalism.

Presently, the religious groups are a small minority. A ban could swell the ranks of fundamentalists very quickly. AL will have invited to our body politic in full force the trend that it purports to oppose.

Polls and beyond

Most of the economic measures presented in the manifesto will find broad support. There are several reports, the latest being the FBCCI report, which float similar and more up-to-date ideas. The AL manifesto authors seem to have missed the most important development on our export front during the last two decades, which is the emergence of a competitive ship-building industry without any government support. It should now get due attention.

From an academic economist's point of view, the real weakness of the manifesto is that it is not costed. It does not give any indication where the resources needed to implement the promises will come from. If AL is not thinking of relying on the begging bowl, then a very hefty increase in taxes must be on the card. Bangladesh is among the least taxed country in the world and a widening of the tax net is desirable. Heroic is the government that achieves this end and everyone should wish it good luck.

The results of the election are never certain. The manifesto should have assured the voters that AL will respect their freely expressed verdict regardless of the outcome.

Since there is a possibility that the AL-led 'Grand Alliance' could fail to get a majority, the manifesto would have been immensely enriched if it had also dealt with this eventuality. The opposition plays a very important role in a vibrant democracy and the manifesto could have contained a section on how the party would work in the opposition bench to strengthen the parliamentary processes. Many of its promises can be realised also from the opposition bench.

None of the above should be construed as a discouragement of the dreams or aims of the manifesto. But difficulties do lie ahead. Despite or in spite of these, no one should be stopped from dreaming or aiming high, since that is the essential pre-requisite of achieving great things.

Follow the dream and good luck!

Professor MA Taslim is CEO of Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute and Co-Chair of the Macro-economics Working Group of Bangladesh Better Business Forum

[ammark]

Originally Posted by James90
Where could I go about finding individual policies and basic 'what each party stands for' summaries?

Originally Posted by tonoy
This is Bangladesh politics. Did you really think they would perform so constructively?

Being constructive aside, in Bangladesh's political history, both sides have had more or less very undifferentiable policy platforms. They rely on populist rhetoric for votes, and follow it up with cronyism, fraud, thuggery, misappropriation and violence among other things. Except that due to certain circumstances, one party may be less prone to being influenced by the religious right while the other may rely on it greatly for support.

[bdchamp20]

Originally Posted by James90
Where could I go about finding individual policies and basic 'what each party stands for' summaries?

http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=71081&cid=3

36 points touch prices, power, parliament

Dhaka, Dec 12 (bdnews24.com) – BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, seeking an unprecedented third term in office, rolled out the party's 36-point election manifesto on Saturday with pledges to ensure food, power and energy security, and a functioning parliament.

She also promised to scrap the 1974 special powers act, termed 'a black law' by political and civil rights activists, and used to curb freedom of expression and suppress political opposition.

Along with a focus on education and employment generation, development of the private sector and balance in trade, a national energy policy and strengthening communications networks were also among the election pledges.

Khaleda also vowed, if voted to power, to ensure MPs submit wealth statements within 30 days of election.

The former prime minister also mentioned anti-terrorism measures and an independent Anticorruption Commission that was "free of influence".

Khaleda began her address by paying respect to the country's freedom fighters

"To ensure the overall welfare and development of the nation BNP will work with the slogan - Save the country, save the people," she said.

"If there is an overall progress in the economic situation of the country then employment opportunities will be created. In the past, during the reign of BNP there has been remarkable economic development in the country with an increase in job opportunities and in the future this will be a priority issue for BNP."

On food security, the emphasis was on agro-subsidies, assisting farmers with purchase of seeds and fertilisers. "We will ensure that farmers are able to get the right price for commodities and that they do not have to pay excess to purchase materials," the BNP chief said.

"I promise to increase production of daily essentials and keep the prices of daily necessities affordable," she said.

On energy security, she pledged: "To ensure the optimum usage of oil and gas by preserving the interest of the country, a national advisory committee will be formed and in accordance to its advice, a national energy policy will be made."

BNP has also promised that the party will be working from the very beginning to meet the deficit by implementing a transparent and effective plan for an increased power production and supply.

On accountable politics, the former prime minister vowed: "To ensure good governance and to take power to the people, administration will be decentralised."

She promised to make the parliament a meaningful and effective institution, through three key steps.

"Whoever is elected speaker or deputy speaker will have to resign his party position and sever all kinds of relationship with the party."

"A deputy speaker will be chosen from the opposition in the parliament."

"All the elected members will have equal facilities given by the government and there will be no disparity in government fund allocations for the electoral constituencies," the BNP chief vowed.

Khaleda also placed emphasis on mass education, with measures to be put in place within the first hundred days if voted in.

"To make the education system functional and pro-people, an advisory committee will be formed within the first 100 days of being elected. Measures will be taken based on their suggestions and education for all will be ensured within 5 years."


On foreign policy, BNP vows to maintain "the ideals of the Constitution and Liberation War".

"Friendship to all malice to none will be obeyed in Bangladesh's foreign policy," Khaleda said.

With a view to improving and developing economy, intimate relations with neighbouring countries will be kept up on the basis of mutual honour and esteem, fraternity with Muslim countries, diplomatic ties and regional cooperation, she added.

And: "All evil efforts to mark non-communal, liberal, tolerant, and peaceful Bangladesh as a fundamentalist, arrogant, and violent country, will be resisted in a effective way."

The former prime minister had promised to bring prices of essentials down and create new jobs the day before as she launched her election campaign in Sylhet.

Khaleda began her televised manifesto address at around 4pm at the Dhaka Sheraton.

She left immediately after to take part in two rallies at Mohammadpur and Banani, party leaders said.

BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told bdnews24.com earlier that his party would deliver a manifesto "suitable for the present time".

"We have created an election manifesto keeping in mind the most important issues of the people," he said.

The party prepared its last election manifesto ahead of the scheduled Jan 22, 2007 elections but did not unveil it as the election was cancelled.

[shabbir]

Enough is enough!!!!!Fed up of our Politicians.Earlier I decided to give no vote straight way.But problem is that in my constituency Saber Hussain Chy became a candidate.I think he is more than eligible candidate.Not sure yet what I will do????????

[nsd3]

There are people who want to develop the country no matter which party u r from.
There are other (majority, I guess) who want the party first...development later.
I think we just have to go through this process of elections for 30/40 years before majority of the peoples' consciousness would be refined and all will responsibly elect candidates to build a better Bangladesh.

[sunnyctg]

Awami League gonna win this election for sure, considering new news about khaleda+family's corrupted money is coming out everyday, she lost her public image already. Atleast thats all i can say from sitting far away from bd and just observing media nyway. Its just sad, cuz AL wont bring any good to the country either other then renaming more hospitals and bridges under mujibs name. Thats as far as ''developement'' goes from AL point of view