Election Update: New Date's Set

Last night at about 7PM the Election Committee announced that a new election date had been set, presumably in order to ensure that the Zia Kheleda led BNP will fully participate. The parliament elections will now take place on December 29, 11 days later than the original date. Upazila (Bangladeshi districts) elections will not take place until Jan 22. This also will push back the dates for filing nomination papers, and hopefully allow the parties to be more organized for the actual election. This is the ninth scheduling of the 9th parliamentary election since 2006.

This news has pleased Zia Khaleda, who has framed her request as necessary for a fair and participatory election, though she still is arguing for "emergency" to be lifted. Emergency is the heavy military presence throughout Dhaka that the emergency military government has imposed to help stop violent protests and hartals from forming. She claims that "a festive mood" is "required for the national elections... will not be created unless the emergency is withdrawn." This seems like a perfect recipe for turmoil: more time before elections to rabble rouse, less police to monitor and control the mob tendencies of Dhaka.

Meanwhile, the Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina is questioning why this election would be moved, seemingly at the will of one woman. Hasina expressed concern that there is a conspiracy on to foil the elections, pointing out "(Zia) wants withdrawal of emergency and at the same time delay in elections. It is only a strategy to prolong the emergency." Essentially, now that the election has been put off, the emergency will be around for longer. If Zia now pushes for the emergency to be lifted before the BNP will participate in the election, it might lead to a stalemate that would further foil the election.

I am not going to explain the whole thing... but there is a great headline on the front page of New Age newspaper today that reads "Prisoners can cast vote this time"... which makes sense because all the politicians were in jail this time last year.

This is a pretty expected result, as everyone is pretty keen to just get the election going and done. The election has been delayed for almost two years now, so although Zia's demands appear the be a blatant attempt to delay the Awami League's impending victory, the EC and AL are willing to go along to get along. It is an absurd situation though, it's hard to imagine John McCain feeling like he might not win and deciding he wont run, and the republican party wont participate in the government, unless the election is moved to November 15.