Distinguished Professor Ali Riaz has published a book titled The Charade: Bangladesh’s 2024 Election. The book compiles essays on Bangladeshi politics written ahead of and after the election held on January 7, 2024. These essays show how the incumbent Awami League’s regime manipulated the election process to ensure victory. Major opposition parties boycotted the election and Sheikh Hasina was elected as prime minister for the fourth consecutive term. Low voter turnout marked the election. The U.S. and the United Kingdom have described the election as “not free and fair.”
Riaz meticulously documents the process and discusses the role of various actors, including the role of the international community. The Bangladesh government defied the call from the U.S. for ensuring a free, fair and inclusive election. Riaz argues that the Bangladesh election also shows the limitation of values-based foreign policy of the Biden administration. With this election, which delivered 95% of the parliamentary seats to the incumbent and its allies, Bangladesh has not only turned into a one-party state but also a personalistic autocracy, Riaz argues. The book is published by Prothoma Prokashon of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
