Once again, my country, Bangladesh, faced an unfortunate election on January 7th, 2024 which was unfettered and unjust to say the least. The tyranny of Sheikh Hasina is here to stay as her party, the Awami League (AL), decided to assume comatose victory yet again. To make matters worse, electioneering violence also took place as did previously. Since BNP’s main opposition supporters were in withdrawl, the whole exercise turned out to be a mere formality which aimed to award legitimacy to Hasina’s totalitarian regime.

Predecided Steps Towards a Circus

Elections by default enable citizens of a nation make a choice. Questions arise regarding democracy when a choice is available, is it a valid one? The abuse of power came to light as the primary party opposition had it systematically silenced. The BNP has been one of the prominent political faces challenging Hasina’s rule, however, mass imprisonments, state-sponsored political violence and violent suppression crippled them. Prior to the elections, thousands of BNP leaders and activists went into hiding or were jailed, the most active opposition leaders such as Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir were in custodial sentences, so no significant practical defiance could happen.

In defeating the opposition’s candidates and scaring away any prospective voters, the Awami League turned the elections into Hasina’s mere stamp machine.

The corrupt processes of elections are continuously monitored by the government-run Election Commission, who does not restrain ballot stuffing, voter suppression, and irregularities.

A Climate of Fear and Repression

Bangladesh has been deeply buried beneath the layers of authoritarianism for several years as Sheikh Hasina controls the reigns. The 2024 election is the most recent installment of her assault on democracy. Her reign has strategically repurposed law enforcement as oppressive instruments rather than agencies of justice, infamously utilizing the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and local police forces. These units have turned from protectors of society into silencing agents. Disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and even extrajudicial killings are commonplace while Hasina reigns. These oppressive maneuvers reinforce the dominance of power over the workings of a state.

The government has complete dominion over the media as well. Journalists that aim to highlight corruption, human rights violations, or election fraud are on the verge of harassment, arrests, or even elimination. Dismantling independent news outlets while tightly monitoring social media platforms ensures that these regimes need not worry about dissenting stances. In this universe of panic, the citizens of Bangladesh can do next to nothing to voice their exasperation.

International Condemnation and the Road Ahead

Even with all the oppression and regime control, the rest of the world has not turned a blind eye toward the fraudulent elections conducted by Hasina.

Previously, democracy supporters along with foreign governments and human rights organizations have criticized the election as neither free nor fair. The European Union and United States have raised issues regarding the lack of opposition engagement as well as the excessive suppression of dissenting views. Similar to past elections, Hasina’s government appears to be unconcerned and confident of maintaining power through force instead of legitimacy, as was the case in previous elections.

Bangladeshis are entitled to genuine democracy rather than a dictatorship that masquerades as an election. The “elections” held in 2024 confirmed the suspicions of many—Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League are not interested in ruling democratically. Bangladesh will live under the blanket of an autocratic regime until genuine opposition is permitted to participate without any restrictions and the voices of the citizens are authentically listened to. There is still a lot of work to be done in the quest for democracy.