With the opposition BNP boycotting the January 7 polls, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her party, Awami League, are all but guaranteed a fourth consecutive term. Five countries in South Asia will hold elections this year, and the first — in Bangladesh on Sunday (January 7) — features the least uncertainty. Many Western countries value their trade ties with Bangladesh, given its powerful garment industry, and perceive it as a strategically significant state situated in the heart of the Indo-Pacific. PM Hasina to address election rally in Narayanganj Thursday But they cannot rule out punitive post-election steps, including trade sanctions. Either way, bad blood between Dhaka and the West — especially Washington — will certainly linger post-election, according to Foreign Policy’s South Asia Brief by Michael Kugelman. By contrast, Hasina’s return will be viewed more positively in South Asia, said the South Asia policy analyst. Kugelman, Director of the South Asia Institute at Wilson Center in Washington, DC, said that Sheikh Hasina enjoys strong support from India, which, like the Awami League, characterizes the opposition as a potentially destabilizing threat that could lead to the return of Islamism in Bangladesh. Jan 7 general election will be a milestone in country’s democratic history: PM Hasina Hasina’s push for connectivity resonates with Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, all of whom are pursuing new initiatives with Bangladesh. The strong economic growth under her offers new opportunities for trade within a region where it lags, said the analyst. Finally, her policy of balancing relations with both Beijing and New Delhi converges with that of the region’s other non-aligned states, said Kugelman. Although foreign countries play an outsized role in Bangladeshi politics, it will be up to the people of Bangladesh to determine the country’s future direction, said the International Crisis Group on Thursday in a new report. President casts vote via postal ballot, encourages nationwide participation in Jan 7 election Based on the decisions that the AL and BNP take, the public will decide either at the ballot box or on the streets, it said in its Asia Report, "Beyond the Election: Breaking Bangladesh’s Political Deadlock." Although it may be impossible before polling day, it is incumbent on both sides to enter talks as early as possible to avoid a lengthy and potentially deadly political showdown, reads the report. Foreign governments, for their part, should work together to cajole the two sides into negotiations aimed at forging a new political settlement. Given the level of domestic opposition it is facing, alongside economic and geopolitical headwinds, the AL has reasons to seek a compromise. Negotiations to rebuild relations between the main political forces and put Bangladesh back on to the path of democracy, peace and stability will require concessions from both sides, said the Crisis Group. The country’s foreign partners, particularly the US and India, should actively encourage them in that direction, it said. “The 7 January election will not resolve Bangladesh’s political crisis. Although it’s too late to postpone the vote, a flawed election provides only more reason to redouble efforts to get the ruling Awami League and its opponents talking again after the poll," said Crisis Group's Asia Director, Pierre Prakash. “Since the 2008 election that brought the Awami League to power, the country has not held a credible national election. And while Bangladesh has made significant progress in some areas over the past 15 years, most notably on the economic front and in reducing poverty, it has experienced continued political violence and repression of civil liberties," Prakash added. A new political settlement between the two major parties would help to put Bangladesh back on to the path of democracy, peace and stability, Prakash said. "It could avert further political violence – in the past few months alone, dozens of people have been killed. It would also help to balance Bangladesh’s international relations and improve its economic prospects,” said the Crisis Group's Asia director. Read more: US wants a ‘fair and transparent’ legal process regarding case against Prof Yunus

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Thursday arrested seven more people, including BNP leaders and activists, from  different parts of the country  in connection with their alleged involvement in vandalism, arson and sabotage during the nationwide blockade and shutdown, enforced by BNP and other like-minded parties. Md Shakhawat Islam , convenor of Narayanganj Metropolitan Swechasebak Dal, and Md Gias Uddin, convenor of Uttar Madarsha union Jubo Dal of Chattogram, were among the arrestees. 48 hr blockade: 418 RAB patrol teams deployed They were arrested from Dhaka's Sutrapur and Chattogram's Hathazari area, respectively. Five others were arrested from different parts of the country, said RAB Headquarters Legal and Media Wing Assistant Director ASP Al Amin. So far, RAB has arrested a total of 847 people in connection with violence and sabotage in different parts of the country, including the attack and sabotage on October 28. 6 more arrested over political violence, sabotage: RAB Meanwhile, 418 RAB patrol teams, including 126 in the capital, have been deployed across the country in order to prevent violence and vandalism and to maintain the law and order situation. The elite force is providing security for passenger and goods transport, long-distance public transport, and cargo transport by patrolling in different parts of the country. 820 arrested by RAB since Oct. 28 for political violence, sabotage; mostly BNP In addition, RAB's intelligence surveillance is continuing in important places, including bus stands and railway stations, to prevent any kind of vandalism and violence, said the RAB official.

The United States has encouraged the government of Bangladesh to investigate reports of violence "thoroughly, transparently, and impartially," and to hold the perpetrators to account. The US also urged Bangladesh to create a safe environment for people to peacefully assemble and voice their concerns. Read: Momen denounces Quran burning in address to OIC Council of Foreign Ministers "We call on all parties to respect fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, and to refrain from violence, harassment, and intimidation," US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a regular briefing in Washington on July 31. He said they are concerned about reports of intimidation and political violence in Bangladesh surrounding last weekend’s political protests. Read: Chinese special envoy in town; discreet meetings held with MoFA Miller said free and fair elections depend on the commitment of everyone – voters, political parties, youth groups, and police – and cannot take place in an environment with political violence.

The US Embassy in Dhaka has expressed its concern about reports of intimidation and political violence in Dhaka and call on everyone to respect the rule of law. "We are concerned about reports of intimidation and political violence in Dhaka and call on everyone to respect the rule of law and to refrain from violence, harassment, and intimidation," US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas said in a message through verified Facebook page of the Embassy on Thursday. Read more: 1 killed in police-BNP clash at Nayapaltan; Over 150 leaders, activists held He said they encourage government authorities to investigate these reports of violence and to protect the fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. The US Embassy also extended its condolences to the families of those killed and injured yesterday in Dhaka. 

President Joe Biden pilloried Republicans up and down ballots across the nation as election deniers who reveled in political violence, while his predecessor, Donald Trump, urged voters to oppose “growing left-wing tyranny" on the final Sunday before midterm elections that could reshape Washington's balance of power. Wrapping up a five-state, four-day campaign swing with an evening rally at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York, Biden championed Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. She's locked in a tight race with Rep. Lee Zeldin, who is looking to become the state's first GOP governor since George Pataki left office in 2006. The president said hundreds of Republican candidates for state, federal and local office are "election deniers, who say that I did not win the election, even though hundreds of attempts to challenge that have all failed, even in Republican courts.” Biden said that for the deniers, “There are only two outcomes for any election: either they win or they were cheated.” Biden said Republicans were willing to condone last year's insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and that, after the recent attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, some in that party made “light of it” or were “making excuses.” “There's never been a time in my career where we've glorified violence based on a political preference," the president said. Read more: Amidst recession fears, Biden has to convince Americans job gains mean better days ahead More than 39 million people have voted early in Tuesday's races, which will decide control of Congress and key governorships — the first national election since a mob overran the Capitol. Earlier Sunday, as Trump addressed supporters in Miami, a reference to the House speaker prompted chants of “Lock her up!" — a stark reminder of just how far apart each side is. Trump is hoping that a strong GOP showing on Election Day will generate momentum for the 2024 run that he is expected to launch this month. “I will probably have to do it again, but stay tuned,” Trump said, teasing an event he has with Republican Senate candidate in Ohio, JD Vance, for Monday. "We have a big, big rally. Stay tuned for tomorrow night.” Trump also told the crowd that "every free and loving American needs to understand that the time to stand up to this growing left-wing tyranny is right now,” while calling on his supporters to reject the “radical left-wing maniacs” and adding that Hispanics would show up strong for GOP candidates. Sen. Marco Rubio joined Trump at the rally as he seeks reelection. Not attending the Miami event was Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, who is running for reelection against Democrat Charlie Crist and is widely considered Trump’s most formidable challenger if he also were to get into the White House race. Instead, DeSantis held his own, separate events Sunday in another part of the state where he stuck to the centerpieces of his reelection campaign, including railing against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and “wokeness” in schools and other parts of society. The governor's counter political programing avoided antagonizing Trump — meaning it didn't deliver the dueling 2024 events that could be in his and Trump's near future. Trump said Sunday that Florida would “reelect Ron DeSantis as your governor.” But he was more confrontational during a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday night, referring to Florida's governor as “Ron DeSanctimonious.” It's a rivalry that's been simmering for more than a year as DeSantis has taken increasingly bold steps to boost his national profile and build a deep fundraising network. Trump remains the most popular figure in the Republican Party. Still, many of his supporters are eager for the prospect that DeSantis might run, seeing him as a natural successor to Trump, without the former president's considerable political negatives. Read more: G-20 summit could put Biden in the same room with Putin and MBS For national Democrats, meanwhile, the focus is on the fate of their narrow control of the House and Senate, which could evaporate after Tuesday. New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, head of the Democrats’ House campaign arm, is in a tough contest for his seat. But he insisted Sunday that Democrats are “going to do better than people think on Tuesday,” adding that his party is “not perfect” but “we are responsible adults who believe in this democracy.” “I think this race is razor-close and I think everybody who cares about the extremism in this ‘MAGA’ movement — the racism, the antisemitism, the violence — needs to get out and vote and that’s not just Democrats, it’s independents and fair-minded Republicans,” Maloney told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” referring to former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Voters may rebuke the party controlling the White House and Congress amid surging inflation, concerns about crime and pessimism about the direction of the country. History suggests the party in power will suffer significant losses in the midterms. On a weekend that also featured Democratic rallies by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, first lady Jill Biden attended church services while campaigning in Houston on Sunday. Like her husband and his presidential predecessors, she argued that democracy itself was on the ballot. "So much is at stake in this election," she said. "We must speak up on justice and democracy.” Traveling in Chicago Vice President Kamala Harris struck a similar tone, saying, “These attacks on our democracy will not only directly impact the people around our country, but arguably around the world.” Trump has long falsely claimed he lost the 2020 election only because Democrats cheated and has even begun raising the possibility of election fraud this year. Federal intelligence agencies are warning of the possibility of political violence from far-right extremists. Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chairwoman, said Democrats were “inflation deniers,” trying to deflect the other side's branding of her party as anti-democracy for rejecting the results of 2020's free and fair presidential election simply because Trump lost it. “If we win back the House and the Senate, it’s the American people saying to Joe Biden, we want you to work on behalf of us and we want you to work across the aisle to solve the problems that we are dealing with," McDaniel told CNN's “State of the Union." Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the nation’s largest union of public employees, has been traveling the country rallying for Democrats. He said, “It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be tough, but we aren’t giving up hope." “Clearly people are concerned about the economy," Saunders said. But he added that voters also are “concerned about the freedoms being taken away from them, whether you’re talking about voting rights or whether your talking about a women’s right to choose.”

The United Kingdom today (September 7, 2022) expressed deep concern over the recent political violence between police and BNP activists, especially in Bhola and Narayanganj that left three people killed. In a brief statement on the verified Facebook page of the British High Commission in Bangladesh, the UK called on all parties to exercise calm and restraint, choosing dialogue over violence. “The UK is gravely concerned about recent violence between political parties and law enforcement, particularly after the deaths of BNP activists in Bhola and Narayanganj,” the statement reads. The statement was issued following a meeting between a four-member BNP delegation and British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson. BNP delegation included party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, organising secretary Shama Obayed and executive committee member Tabith Awal. Read: Jubo Dal activist killed in N’ganj; BNP activists-police clash in parts of country Stating that engagement with political parties is a key part of the UK’s diplomatic presence in Bangladesh, the statement said Dickson was pleased to meet Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders at the British High Commission today (Wednesday), discussing the current political situation. Contacted, Amir Khosru Mahmud told UNB that they met Dickson at the invitation of the High Commission at 2pm. “We had around one and a half hour meeting and discussed the latest political issues in Bangladesh, including the recent incidents of police firing at our peaceful programmes,” he said. As the high commissioner wanted to know from them, Khosru said, “We narrated what actually happened and how law forcers and political goons attacked our peaceful programmes across the country, leaving our three leaders dead and injured many others.” He said they also talked about false cases filed against thousands of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies across the country by law enforcers. “We think it’s the beginning of the end of democracy and electoral process. If it continues a level-playing field will never be created and a credible election won't be held in Bangladesh."