ISAS Briefs

Any swirling dust will eventually settle, and the storm that the elections of 5 January 2014 generated in Bangladesh is already beginning to subside. The polls saw a level of violence never witnessed on such occasions before. The main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotted the hustings (a decision they might rue) as their demand of an apolitical government to host the event was ignored. They took to the streets, and the Jamaat-e-Islami, banned from participation in the polls for its extreme religious predilections, acting as their sword-arm. Voter turn-out was abysmally low for a Bangladeshi election. The absence of any international observers lent credence to its questionable credibility. In any case, 153 candidates of a Parliament of 300 members were already returned uncontested. Not much contest was confronted by the remaining candidates. The Awami League under the stewardship of Sheikh Hasina romped home to victory amidst the expressed despair of many, including of most western powers, who viewed the results as neither fish, flesh, fowl nor good red herring.