Int’l community keeping a close watch on polls
The international community will be closely watching the election today to see how peaceful and participatory it is after the boycott of the BNP and its allies, which made it a one-sided affair.
A total of 127 observers from India, China, Russia, Japan, Nigeria, Gambia, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka will be monitoring the national election, according to the ministry of foreign affairs.
Commonwealth, Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, Arab Parliament and African Electoral Alliance will also be observing the polls.
Besides, 73 foreign journalists will be covering the polls.
The EU sent only a four-member delegation instead of a fully-fledged mission as it did not consider the environment in Bangladesh to be conducive for election monitoring.
A five-member joint team of the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute is assessing potential electoral violence. The team is scheduled to stay here for six to eight weeks.
The US, along with India, China and other powers, is watching if Bangladesh's elections ease or exacerbate the country's current political crisis, which could reshape how global actors engage Bangladesh, said Geoffrey Macdonald, a visiting expert on South Asia at US Institute of Peace.
India and China will welcome Prime Minister Hasina's fourth term, but are likely wary of the brewing instability created by Bangladesh's political stalemate, he said in a USIP analysis titled "Opposition Boycott Clears Path to a Fourth Term for Hasina in Bangladesh".
Media outlets from all over the world are covering the build-up to the polls extensively.
The New York Times published a report with the headline "A One-Sided Affair as Bangladesh's Ailing Democracy Goes to the Polls" and The Financial Times published an in-depth report titled "Bangladesh election raises fears of descent into one-party rule".
American news agency Associated Press ran a report titled "Sheikh Hasina once fought for democracy in Bangladesh. Her critics say she now threatens it", while BBC ran a story titled "Bangladesh: The election that has turned into a one-woman show".
Times of India published an opinion titled "Why Sheikh Hasina's fourth term will see screws tighten on Bangladesh", and the Voice of America in its digital platform published a report "Bangladesh Election Unlikely to Resolve Political Turmoil".
Al Jazeera ran a nearly 30-minute video story with the title "Is Bangladesh on a path to becoming a one-party state?".
Analysts feared the country may move towards authoritarianism as the ruling Awami League is almost sure to form the next government for the fourth time in a row.
The Western countries, which are Bangladesh's major export destinations, have been pressing for free, fair and peaceful elections, said M Humayun Kabir, a former ambassador.
"Therefore, moving away from democratic values will definitely create more challenges for us," he added.