There will be no violence over election: Home minister tells US mission

There will be no violence over the upcoming national polls in Bangladesh, Home Minister Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal MP told the visiting US pre-election observation team today.

"We told them that Bangladesh has faced a lot of violence. We saw the assassination of the father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Since the prime minister returned to the country in 1981, there have been 19 attempts to kill her. But the country is in a peaceful condition now. There will be completely violence-free, peaceful elections," the minister told reporters following his meeting with the US delegation at the secretariat on Wednesday (11 October). 

"The current government has established the rule of law in the country. Moreover, the people of Bangladesh want a peaceful environment. As a result, we do not think that there will be any violence in the elections," he added.

Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the US observation team was informed that a large number of well-trained members of the police, BGB and  Ansar are kept ready to tackle any untoward situation. During the elections, the law and order forces work under the Election Commission.

"6 lakh members of Ansar will play a key role in the upcoming elections. Police, BGB and Coast Guard personnel will also be there along with them," he said.

Transparent ballot boxes, photo voter lists, and the role of media and social media were all highlighted to the observation team; the roles of the returning officers and presiding officer have been explained to them, the minister added.

"Polling grounds will have police control rooms. There is also the 999 service. As a result, no one can get away with corruption or rigging. Besides, the mentality of political parties has also changed," he added.

If any candidate says that the election was not peaceful or if any political party is concerned about safety, then what action will be taken, the home minister told the US delegation.

"Election Commission can take necessary action," he said. 

In response to a question, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said, "We think that BNP will not join the elections. Elections will take place as per the constitution. The country has a constitution, the government has no opportunity to go beyond the constitution. It is up to the United States if they want to send election observers or not. Our election will be according to the constitution."

A joint International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) mission arrived in Bangladesh on 8 October to assess the pre-election situation in Bangladesh. 

From 8 to 12 October, the six-member delegation will meet with a diverse group of election stakeholders, including government officials, political party leaders, election authorities, civil society, and others.

The NDI and IRI are nonpartisan, nongovernmental organisations which support and strengthen democratic institutions and practices worldwide. The organisations have collectively observed more than 200 elections in more than 50 countries over the last 30 years.

The delegation is co-chaired by Inderfurth and Bonnie Glick, former Deputy USAID Administrator; and includes Maria Chin Abdullah, former Member of the House of Representatives, Malaysia; Jamil Jaffer, former Associate Counsel to the President of the United States; Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI Regional Director for Asia-Pacific; and Johanna Kao, IRI Senior Director, Asia-Pacific Division.