BNP and Democracy

February 15, 1996 Election – How the BNP Undermined Democracy

Before the historic mass uprising of 2024, the opportunity for democratic development that emerged in 1990 through the sacrifices of students and citizens was buried by BNP, and the Awami League hammered the final nail into that coffin. This must not be forgotten. The Awami League – genocidal, fascist, murderous – did not walk this path alone; BNP bears significant responsibility too. BNP paved the way, and the Awami League followed it to its destination. Sheikh Hasina peacefully handed over power in 2001, which is also part of history. In 2006, BNP again tried to play the game of rigged elections. During the 2001–2006 period, they too established a moderate form of fascism, and their misdeeds are well documented in history. From 2009 to 2024, the Awami League became the champion in that regard. The Awami League is a proven fascist and perpetrator of genocide. Yet even after the historic uprising of 2024, BNP continues its extortion and scheming. Therefore, BNP’s record must also be exposed – who they are, what they did, and what they are doing now. The people now have a chance to think beyond the Awami League and BNP. Both parties are looters, frauds, lumpens, and enemies of democracy – one is moderate, the other is champion. That’s why, despite being endlessly oppressed and crushed under the Awami League’s regime, ordinary people did not respond to BNP’s call to take to the streets.

Looking Back at the February 15, 1996 Election: How BNP Organized a Controversial and One-Sided Parliamentary Election Under a Partisan Government!

Yesterday was February 15. On this day in 1996, BNP held a staged election by force, ignoring the boycott and resistance of all opposition parties. With no rival candidates, BNP’s ruling party nominees were elected unopposed in 48 constituencies even before voting began.

In Bangladesh’s history, several one-sided and controversial general elections have been held amid opposition boycotts. Among them is the 6th National Parliamentary Election held on February 15, 1996.

This election was held against the backdrop of a movement demanding the introduction of a caretaker government system. Opposition parties demanded constitutional amendments to establish a non-partisan interim administration that would fully assist the Election Commission in conducting fair elections. In the April 3, 2017 issue of *Protichinta* magazine, the late journalist Mizanur Rahman Khan wrote that Jamaat-e-Islami was the first to demand elections under an unelected ‘caretaker’ government. Citing the party’s newspaper *Daily Sangram*, he noted that Jamaat proposed a caretaker formula at a public rally in 1983.

At that time, BNP was in power. Although the demand had surfaced earlier, in December 1994, all opposition MPs – including those from Jamaat-e-Islami – resigned from Parliament demanding a non-partisan caretaker government, launching a fierce movement. Eventually, through protests, conflict, and violence, the then government moved toward a one-sided election on February 15, 1996.

Amid the boycott by all major political parties, a one-sided and controversial election was held under the BNP government on February 15, 1996. The election was not only one-sided – it was also violent. A report in *The New York Times* stated that at least 12 people were killed in violence across Bangladesh the day before the election. The report also noted that most of Bangladesh’s 50 million voters did not vote, and the turnout may have been less than 10 percent.

The report stated that with no rival candidates, BNP’s ruling party nominees were elected unopposed in 48 constituencies before voting began. In that controversial election, BNP won 289 out of 300 seats. There was no formal opposition party in Parliament, but Syed Farooq Rahman of the Freedom Party, having won one seat, sat in the opposition leader’s chair. The remaining 10 seats were won by independent candidates.

BNP has always defended the February 15 election with political justification. In a 2012 interview with BBC Bangla, senior BNP leader Rafiqul Islam Mia said that BNP took a calculated risk by going ahead with the election. He believed that through this election, the BNP government preserved ‘democratic continuity and the constitution.’

BNP’s authoritarian approach to holding an opposition-free election intensified the movement from various quarters. As a result, just six weeks later, on March 30, 1996, President Abdur Rahman Biswas dissolved Parliament on the advice of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who then resigned. In the ensuing chaos, the Awami League came to power in the 7th National Parliamentary Election held on June 12, 1996. Despite the many criticisms and misdeeds of the current Awami League and its allies, it remains a historical fact that they were the only party to peacefully hand over power to a caretaker government in 2011 – or were able to do so.