The nation was eagerly anticipating the possibility of a dialogue, an agreement, a minimum understanding, where all parties would collaborate to ensure an acceptable election process. Unfortunately, no one is willing to budge on their demand. If the dialogue is based on the premise that each party's condition must be agreed upon, then it ceases to be a dialogue. Thus, a dialogue seems to be out of the question. This was a major concern before the announcement, and it still remains unresolved.

The Election Commission has not yet proven itself to be one that people can have full confidence and trust in—that it can hold a free and fair election. The recent by-elections showed anomalies that led to the closure of several polling centres due to irregularities. On the one hand, large-scale arrests of the leaders and activists of BNP and other opposition parties, both at national and local levels, continue. This does not signal willingness for a dialogue. On the other hand, the ongoing strikes and blockades, marked by acts of vandalism, continue, raising questions about the existence of a healthy environment for a fair election.

What will happen this election still remains uncertain, with the fear of a repeat of the 2014 or 2018 scenarios. BNP's reluctance to participate in this condition has further fuelled these concerns. A low voter turnout is highly likely, and one is not sure how the EC will claim the election to be credible if that's the case.

You cannot have a democracy without a vibrant, active and responsible opposition. If a single party comes to power repeatedly, without any competition, then how meaningful are elections? The current situation is very bleak indeed. The election will be conducted, but how credible it will be is the question. Only if the EC can guarantee a reasonable voter turnout and not falsify the number of votes cast or the counting of votes, if they can prevent illegal ballot stuffing and establish an election environment free from fear and violence for all participants—all of which it has yet to demonstrate its ability to achieve—can the election be considered credible. A reasonable voter turnout can be as little as even 30 percent.

Since the political parties have failed to prove their responsibility to and concern for the people they claim they represent or are meant to serve, it is now up to the EC to show their independence, their autonomy, their seriousness and their responsibility to the nation. That is, in my view, the only way that the current situation can be resolved. It may not be ideal or what the nation deserves, but it is at least a way forward.

Khushi Kabir is a rights activist and coordinator of Nijera Kori.

Views expressed in this comment are the author's own. 

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