Badiul Alam Majumdar

One question that I repeatedly faced in the last few days was: how were the elections of the two Dhaka city corporations?

The Election Commission, particularly the CEC, has been repeatedly assuring us that the upcoming elections of the two Dhaka city corporations will be free and fair.

On October 11, the Buet VC announced that student and teacher politics would be banned at the university.

A 2009 Homeland Security Department report warned that race-based extremism would become a serious and growing threat to American national security.

During last year’s road safety movement, there was a demand raised by the student demonstrators that touched a chord with a wide cross-section of the population: “repair the state.” T

Marked by many questions, controversies and some degree of violence, the 11th parliamentary election took place on December 30. According to the Election Commission, the overall turnout was 80 percent, while it was less than 46 percent in the six constituencies where EVM was used. Six constituencies had the highest turnout rate of 99 percent.

On October 28, Khaleda Zia was convicted and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

So far, ten parliamentary elections were held in Bangladesh, of which three—the 1988 election during the Ershad regime, the February 15, 1996 election under the BNP government, and the January 5, 2014 election under the Awami League-led Grand Alliance government—were one-sided.

The 11th Parliamentary election is at our doorstep. The election schedule is expected to be declared at the beginning of November and the election to be held at the end of December.

On September 19, 2018, over the vehement objections of civil society and media representatives, the Parliament passed the Digital Security Act, 2018. The concern is that it is a draconian law which will impede freedom of expression, including individual and media freedom.

The recent “student agitation” not only demanded safe roads, but also raised our awareness regarding our state structure, characterised by corruption, repression and injustice.

The year 2018 is one of elections. A total of five city corporation elections are to be held this year, of which elections in Khulna and Gazipur have already been held.

Judging from the May 15 election in Khulna, and the Gazipur city corporation election on June 26, five distinct features of a controlled election have emerged.

Notwithstanding the serious questions raised about the credibility of Khulna and Gazipur city corporation elections, we had in the recent past free and fair elections in Narayanganj, Kumilla and Rangpur cities.

A budget is an accounting of incomes and expenditures for individuals or families. However, it is much more than that for a country. A national budget conveys clear messages for the future direction of the national economy. What messages has the budget placed recently by the finance minister in Parliament conveyed?

Bangladesh is now on the election highway. Aside from the national election, seven city corporation elections are to be held this year.

Now that the Rangpur election is over, some questions come up: How was the election? What message does it convey? What influence, if any, will it have on other upcoming elections?

The Election Commission (EC) held a post-dialogue press briefing on October 26. At the briefing, the Chief Election Commissioner said that the commission must conduct elections in accordance with the laws made by the government. His statement, although significant, raises serious concerns.

They also threaten to wage a movement with a one-point demand of the CJ's removal. Any reasonable citizen would be concerned about the way the judgment was unnecessarily politicised.

The EC is not constituted only for holding elections. It is a constitutional body created to perform a host of other functions round the year to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible.