The criticism of the election lacking participation and being potentially rigged are not logical. Conducting the election is a constitutional obligation, not a choice. Participating, however, is a choice each party makes freely. Awami League and 27 other parties are contesting, but BNP chose to boycott. It's true that without BNP participating, the election will not seem complete, and there will be questions about it. But can you hold Awami League responsible for this? BNP claims that if they participate, the election will not be free and fair, and that they will lose. Let's agree to that allegation for argument's sake—does their boycott benefit them? Without BNP, Awami League is likely to win the election anyway. Participating could've allowed them to highlight any irregularities and secure parliamentary representation. Therefore, BNP should have participated, no matter what. Boycotting is not a solution. Their abstinence might have been understandable if their movements had succeeded, but their failure on both fronts renders it illogical. Hence, the responsibility for the election's limitations lies solely with BNP.

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What comes after January 7?

Conversely, to mitigate their non-cooperation, we've allowed our party members to contest independently, offering voters a wider selection despite the possibility of internal conflict. In South Asian politics, intense competition can lead to conflict and even violence. So, by deciding to allow independent candidates, we are now at risk of facing internal conflicts. Yet, Awami League prioritised a competitive election and democracy, even if it creates discord within the party.

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‘I see no reason to call this an election.’

The claim that we will rig the election is equally unreasonable. Why would Awami League need to resort to rigging in this scenario? Had BNP participated, concerns about manipulating the outcome to defeat them might have had some logic behind it. But in their absence, and if Awami League doesn't give seat concessions to any of its allies—or to Jatiya Party—we are poised for a landslide victory. Awami League has no incentive to rig the election, and doubting this suggests a lack of rationality. The entire election will be proper, fair, and free from any misconduct. What will BNP do then? Will their unfounded accusations continue?

Mohammad A Arafat is member of the central executive committee of Bangladesh Awami League.

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

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