Showing posts with label Bangladesh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bangladesh. Show all posts

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Bangladesh ends 'caretaker' polls

30 June 2011 Last updated at 12:53 GMT Police in Dhaka (June 2011) The impending abolition of the caretaker system provoked strikes earlier in June The Bangladeshi parliament has overturned a 15-year-old requirement that general elections are overseen by non-partisan caretaker governments.

The system was introduced in the mid-1990s in an effort to end violence and fraud that often marred voting.

The opposition has denounced the move, arguing that it could allow incumbent administrations to rig future votes.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was highly critical of the last military-backed caretaker government of 2006-8.

She said that it was wrong that it stayed beyond its mandated three months and delayed voting by about two years.

Sheikh Hasina denied that the move is designed to allow her government to rig the next vote.

"This is a historic moment for democracy," she told parliament after the vote. "We can't allow unelected people to oversee national elections."

But opposition lawmakers vowed to protest against the move by a continuing series of general strikes and street protests which began earlier this month.

"This will not be good for the future of our democracy," said independent deputy Fazle Azim.

The 345-member legislature passed the amendment by 291 to one, in a vote boycotted by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

Last month the Supreme Court ruled that the system of interim administrations was unconstitutional.

Under the arrangement, a caretaker authority of technocrats stayed in office for 90 days, mandated to organise the election and transfer power to the newly elected government within that timeframe.

The last caretaker government attempted to control corruption by sending hundreds of politicians - including Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia - to jail on charges of abusing power and illegally amassing wealth.

The pair were released before the December 2008 election, along with the scores of other politicians who were detained.

The next election is not due before the end of 2013.


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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Bangladesh truth panel 'illegal'

16 May 2011 Last updated at 15:18 GMT By Anbarasan Ethirajan BBC News, Dhaka President Iajuddin Ahmed President Iajuddin Ahmed (centre) set up the commission in 2008 The Bangladeshi Supreme Court has upheld a ruling by a lower court which declared the Truth and Accountability Commission, set up in 2008, illegal.

The panel was set up by the military-backed caretaker government to offer partial amnesties in return for information about corruption.

The High Court declared the commission illegal and unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court ruling makes clear that those facing charges should be dealt with according to the law.

It said that they cannot be given an amnesty.

The army-backed interim government set up the Truth and Accountability Commission in 2008 to offer a partial amnesty in return for information about corrupt deals and the refunding of dishonestly-acquired money.

The idea was to clear a massive backlog of corruption cases.

A number of people came forward to confess their guilt and deposited money in the treasury.

But the measure was declared illegal by the High Court in 2008. It said that there was no provision in the constitution to offer an amnesty to individuals accused of corruption.

Transparency International spokesman Iftikhar Zaman welcomed Monday's ruling, arguing that short-term measures like amnesties will not help to tackle the corruption problem.

"Challenging corruption in Bangladesh cannot be done overnight," he said.

"The real challenge for the government is to allow the institutions and laws of the country to take their own course.

"That is especially the case with institutions like the Anti-corruption Commission which has to be allowed to function independently and effectively so that those who are accused of corruption face justice."

Bangladesh is considered to be one of the most corrupt nations in the world. Successive governments have tried to tackle it by introducing new laws and by establishing anti-corruption commissions.

But campaigners say unless there is a strong political will and public awareness, corruption will continue to blight the country's progress.


View the original article here