Electoral systems in South Asia and Bangladesh's perspective

With the twelfth parliamentary elections just around the corner, Bangladesh is at another crucial juncture in its democratic development. The approaching elections, which are garnering both local and global attention, put South Asia's complex electoral dynamics into sharp relief. It is a good time to examine the broader ramifications for democracy in this varied area as Bangladesh gears up for another election. The methods and laws governing elections are known as electoral systems. They have a significant impact on how elections turn out, how legislatures are made up, and how democratic a country is. The voting systems in South Asia are different because of the region's diversity. First-past-the-post (FPTP), the most popular system, determines the winner by counting the votes cast in each constituency separately. Proportional representation (PR), mixed-member proportional systems, and single transferable vote (STV) are other systems utilized in South Asia.

There are different types of democracy in the world. America is a unique type of democracy. India has its own democracy type. Bangladesh also has a different type of democracy. But whatever the method, the people have direct and indirect decision-making power. For example, in Bangladesh MPs are elected by direct vote of the people and the head of the winning party or a designated person becomes the Prime Minister. He became the head of the government. But the President is elected by the votes of the MPs. Although there is no direct participation of the people, the president is actually elected through the designated representatives of the people. After the independence of Bangladesh, the first general election was held in 1973. Then elections were held in 1979, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1996, 1996, 2001, 2008, 2014, 2018 but the 1979 election was General Zia's yes/no vote and not all error free.

The voting process employed in Bangladesh's electoral system is First-Past-The-Post (FPTP), a simple plurality system. There are 350 total parliamentary seats for election in Bangladesh, 50 of which are reserved for women. The candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins, is used to fill the 300 directly elected seats. A proportional representation system is used to fill the 50 reserved seats, allocating a certain number of seats to each party based on how much of the total vote it received.
The parliamentary system is the cornerstone on which the country's democratic governance is built.Bangladesh's current electoral system has been in place since 1996. It has won recognition for being straightforward and impartial. The Jatiya Sangsad has one member elected from each constituency. A member of parliament is referred to as an MP.

According to the announcement of the present government, the twelfth parliamentary election will be held in January, and it will be according to the current constitution. It is up to the people who they elect. But among all the elections held in Bangladesh so far, this election is very different due to two reasons: First, the ruling party Awami League and its allies have been elected three times in a row. And the opposition party is not willing to hold elections under the current government. Second, foreign powers, especially the US, have chosen the upcoming parliamentary elections to implement their agenda. But why? There are other countries in South Asia, the happenings of these countries can assist us to understand the current situation of Bangladesh. For instance, the fall of Imran Khan's Prime Ministership is the outcome of the opposition of the United States.The difficulties that these South Asian nations confront are similar to those that Bangladesh is experiencing, bringing up topics like the necessity for a robust opposition, open elections, and the fight against corruption. Let's take a look at the recent elections in South Asia.

Indian Election System: India's voting system is a hybrid one. India is a significant South Asian country. In legislative elections, it combines FPTP with PR to provide representation for both independent candidates and political parties. Although strong, India's democracy nevertheless confronts obstacles including corruption, political divisiveness, and the need for election changes.

Sri Lankan Electoral System: Sri Lanka, a nation in South Asia, holds parliamentary elections using a form of proportional representation. The goal of this method is to guarantee the representation of diverse political and racial groupings. Power disputes, instability, and the desire for peace after a protracted civil war are just a few of the difficulties it faces.

Pakistan's Election condition:General elections will be held in Pakistan in the last week of January 2024. Pakistan is currently the only country in South Asia where a caretaker government exists and is currently in power. Despite the obligation to hold general elections in Pakistan by November 6, a statement has been made by the Election Commission that their elections have been postponed due to the need for new boundaries. However, the United States has no problem with that election. The reason is that Imran Khan, the most popular leader of Pakistan and leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is in jail and all avenues for his participation in the elections have been blocked. He was first deposed, then jailed, for going against the US. And at the same time the US put their ally in power in Pakistan.

Despite claims of manipulation, there is a propensity in India and Sri Lanka, two of the biggest democracies in the world, to accept the vote of common citizens. Bangladesh and Pakistan lack this culture to accept the verdict of the citizens especially by the oppositions. Since both monarchies and monarchical democracies exist, Nepal and Bhutan are distinct from one another. Afghanistan is not included. Democracy has been absent for many years as the Taliban administration is currently in charge.

What are The West and so called Developed Nations Planning?
It is obvious that the West and so-called developed nationswant to make the upcoming elections in Bangladesh free, fair, neutral and participatory. And that is why they are constantly putting pressure on Bangladesh. The question may be why they want free and fair elections in Bangladesh? The question may also be that in countries where there is no democracy and the people of that country do not want to see the kings or emperors in power. Why are they silent about these countries? And who gave them the right to poke their nose into the internal affairs of a country.The people of this country know what some then superpowers did in 1971. But their behaviour in a free, sovereign, democratic country has reached the limit of decency. Very recently we can see the deterioration of relations between India and Canada. Like Canada, India is not only expelling Canadian diplomats, but also expelling them from the country. The question may be why we are tolerating the trespassers like the West and so-called developed nations. The answer is very simple. We are still an import dependent country.the country A large part of what we export is to the United States. Even if we cannot keep them happy, conflicting relations with them are a threat to our geographical and economic security.

Everyone knows what role the West and so called developed nationsplayed in the War of Independence. Everyone knows about their relationship with the assassination of Bangabandhu. Historically, some of them are not the friends of Bangladesh. And BNP-Jamaat is taking this opportunity. That is why, the next election is going to be the biggest challenge for this government. First challenge for the government is not to give the West a chance. The second challenge is to conduct fair elections in a constitutional manner. The third challenge is tobring BNP to the elections. The final challenge is to prove the motto of 'Friendship to all but malice to none'. But the tasksaretough not impossible.

The writer is a full-time member of UGC, Director of Bangladesh Satellite Company Ltd. and President of Education, Research and Development Forum Bangladesh