How US Visa Policy May Impede Fair Elections in Bangladesh

The United States implemented new visa policies for Bangladesh this month to facilitate a free and fair election. According to the new visa policy, if a person obstructs the fair election, he will not get a US visa in the future.

It includes election-related officials, members of law enforcement agencies and government and opposition party leaders.

The argument of the Biden administration is that those who played a role in destroying the fair environment in the election may refrain from those activities because of the visa policy. As a result the election will be fair.

So far everything has been fine, but the opposition party BNP is promoting the new visa policy as very much in their favor. In various rally statements, they termed it as a victory for BNP and a defeat for Awami League. Even the activists are being encouraged that the United States is with them in this election.

However, the visa policy is equally applicable to the BNP and if they take a stand in the field saying 'I will not allow elections' like in 2014, then they too will undoubtedly fall under the visa policy. But forgetting the matter, they are making the field workers aggressors. That aggressive attitude will play a major role in creating any kind of violence in the election arena.

They will enter the field with the attitude that the police may not stop them on the field because of the visa policy. And if there is no fear of the police, their efforts to manipulate the election in various ways including occupying polling stations and intimidating voters will continue.

There have already been reports that efforts are being made to intimidate Awami League leaders and activists in different parts of the country. Police are being threatened to stay away from BNP meetings in various areas. Which is an obstacle to a fair election.

Experts say that all the controversy over the past two national elections was rooted in the obstruction of elections. In 2014, the election became controversial as a result of the chaos created by the BNT by not allowing the election to take place. And despite participating in the 2018 elections, it boycotted it in the interim period. If there was a visa policy then, maybe BNP-Jamaat would have been hit by the visa policy the most.

However, that opportunity is no longer available in the upcoming elections. But naturally they have already hinted at disrupting the upcoming national elections. And if this is the case, the BNP leaders and workers are likely to be the most affected by the maximum impact of the visa policy.

However, experts say, who is responsible for obstructing the fair election may be understood after the election. But the politics that have started with the visa policy before the elections, political benefits are being taken in the name of the visa policy, there are indications that the fair elections will be disrupted. And for this maybe the disinformation about the visa policy will be responsible.