BANGLADESH ELECTION REFORM

Bangladeshi Americans Demand Sustainable Democracy in Bangladesh

BANGLADESH ELECTION REFORM

A nation with many problems
Political Picture of Bangladesh Election – Election Engineering
Political Parties and General Mass
Population Pressure and Unemployment
Global Volatility
What is needed - Reforms in Various Sectors
What Bangladeshi Americans Demand and why

ECONOMY AND NON-RESIDENT BANGLADEHIS

Bangladesh Economy – Deficit Budget (about $2 Bn)
Government Debt: $104 Bn
Foreign Currency Reserve: Approx $20 Bn
Major Sectors for Forex:
Apparel > US40 Bn;
Foreign Remittance About $25 Bn
Remittance form NRB: $25 Bn
Most Importantly – No Voice of NRBs

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

Our goal is to ensure that we protect the sovereignty of the nation and keep the nation safe from any external and internal threat. Need to see the country where people can enjoy a fair and harmonious life while fostering a peaceful future. It is our expectation that all Bangladeshis, both at home and abroad, can live with dignity, respect, and pride.

Election Reform -Key Recommendations for Election System Reform

Elections under the Caretaker Government
Presidential System of Government
Bi-cameral Parliament

EXISTING EXAMPLE OF VARIOUS SYSTEM

For election reform in Bangladesh, various systems were reviewed, and only the elements that align with the knowledge, education level, and general characteristics of the population and political leaders of Bangladesh are adopted.

Materials Consulted include,

Democratic Process of Ancient Greece
Modern Democracy – from Direct Democracy to Representative Democracy
Historical Aspect of Evolution of Democracy

Athenian Democracy: By the 5th century BCE, democratic reforms led to leaders being elected by the Ekklesia (assembly of citizens) or selected by a lottery system to ensure fairness.
Modern Democracy: From Direct Democracy to Represented Democracy

Roman Republic (509–27 BCE):The Roman Republic is one of the earliest examples of a representative system. Citizens elected officials such as consuls and senators to represent their interests, though the system was limited to male property owners. This system influenced later democratic structures.
Medieval Precursors Magna Carta (1215): In England, the Magna Carta limited the absolute power of the king and laid the groundwork for parliamentary representation.
Parliamentary Institutions (13th–14th centuries):The English Parliament began as an advisory body to the monarchy, gradually evolving into a system where representatives of the nobility and commoners had a say in governance.
United States (Late 18th Century):The U.S. Constitution (ratified in 1787) established a federal representative democracy, where citizens elect representatives to Congress. This marked a significant development in modern representative governance.
French Revolution (1789):The revolution introduced the concept of popular sovereignty and representative governance, inspiring democratic movements worldwide.
United Kingdom (19th Century):Parliamentary reforms, such as the Reform Acts (1832, 1867, 1884), expanded suffrage and representation in the British Parliament, transitioning it into a more representative democracy.

KEY FEATURES OF MODERN REPRESENTATIVES DEMOCRACY

Citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.
Regular elections ensure accountability.
Checks and balances, such as separation of powers, protect against authoritarianism.

BEST PRACTICES OF ELECTION SYSTEM

GERMANY:

Germany: Germany's election system is a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) system. A very complex and fair system.
Electoral System: Germany uses a two-vote system in federal elections:

First Vote: Direct Constituency Vote - Elects a representative directly for each of Germany’s 299 electoral districts (constituencies) following the FPTP system.
Second Vote: Party List Proportional Vote - Determines the overall proportional representation of parties in the Bundestag.

Electoral System: Proportional representation based on party lists in Germany’s 16 federal states. Voters select a political party rather than an individual candidate. The second vote is the more significant vote, as it decides the total number of seats a party will hold in the Bundestag.
Overhang Seats: If a party wins more direct seats in constituencies than its proportional share, it keeps the extra seats, increasing the Bundestag's size.
Compensatory Seats: To restore proportionality, additional seats are allocated to other parties to balance representation.

INDIA:

Segregated Election System with both: First Past the Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) systems.

India’s Lower House of Parliament: the Lok Sabha consists of 545 members, which is the primary legislative body in the country. The elections for the Lok Sabha are held through the FPTP voting system.
Upper House of Parliament: Rajya Shabha consists of 245 members. Members are elected by the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies (or Union Territory legislatures with assemblies) through a system of proportional representation (PR). This system ensures representation proportional to the strength of political parties in the state legislature. Each voter ranks candidates in order of preference.

SWITZERLAND:

Switzerland: Has a distinctive and highly participatory electoral system, which is based on direct democracy and proportional representation. Switzerland has a bicameral parliament, consisting of the National Council (lower house) and the Council of States (upper house), each with its own voting system.

National Council (Lower House):Members of the National Council (200 members) are elected through PR system.
Council of States (Upper House):The Council of States has 46 members, and the method of election varies by canton. In most cantons, elections are held by majority voting (first-past-the-post), where the candidate with the most votes wins the seat.

AUSTRALIA:

Australia: Uses Preferential Voting System:

House of Representatives (Lower House):Preferential Voting: Voters rank candidates in order of preference (1, 2, 3, etc.).
Majority Requirement: A candidate needs to secure more than 50% of the vote to win. If no candidate achieves this in the first round of voting, the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed according to the voters' next preferences. This process continues until a candidate achieves a majority.
Senate (Upper House): The Senate election is conducted using PR system. Voters can either rank individual candidates or vote for a party.

ICELAND:

Iceland: Election system is built on the principles of proportional representation and democracy, ensuring fair representation for all political voices.

Allocation of Seats Constituency Seats: Initially, sixty-three (63) seats are distributed based on the votes in each constituency.
Adjustment Seats: Nine (9) "compensatory" seats are allocated nationally to ensure proportionality in the overall election result.

PROPOSED ELECTION REFORM IN BANGLADESH

To run a country effectively it is imperative that good representatives are elected thorough a fair process, connections with the grassroot people, adopt and implement policies freely without any internal and external pressure.

Bangladesh Election Reform Recommendations are developed keeping in mind that no one and or any political party take the election outcome as granted. We need peace and harmony for all people inclusive of all ethnic groups and minorities. Election Engineering and nomination business have no room in this recommended system. If adopted internal and external political destabilization will be reduced.

It is recommending a network a direct network from the grassroots to the national CEO exists. Recommended system can be termed as ‘Hierarchical Decentralized’ election system.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE

The local government members will be apolitical and free from the pressure from any upper echelon. This links the lower chain, i.e., the Gramin Sharker to the higher chain the National Assembly.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION SYSTEM

Gram Sarker
Union Porishod
Upozila Porishod
Zila Porishod
Municipal Election Remains Unchanged

No position for any candidate in the ballot. Highest vote grabber will be the head of the respective Council.
Vacant Position in case of death/resignation/removal will be filled with the next highest vote receivers.
Constituent members will be vetting the candidacies best on their free will.

01.Gram Sarker

Five (5) members elected through direct vote, nominated and vetted by local resident.
Any candidate affiliated with any political party will not be eligible to run for any position.
Must have at least High School Diploma
Candidates must have clean records, no history of oppressive behavior, any legal records and or history of any subversive activities.
Ten (10) members Honorary Council – will be elected same way as the Gram Sarker

02.Union Porishod

Election will be held only for the Chairman and Secretary of the Union Council through direct vote, nominations will be vetted by Grameen Sarker Members.
There will be five (5) members for Honorary Council. Elected following the same procedure as of the Union Council
Any candidate affiliated with any political party will not be eligible to run for any position.
Must have at least Higher Education Diploma (Intermediate Pass)
Candidates must have clean records, no history of oppressive behavior, any legal records and or history of any subversive activities.
All candidacy must be vetted by Gram Sarker members and Gram Honorary Council members.
All heads of the Gram Sarker will be ex-officio of the Union Councils

03.Upozila Porishod

Election will be held only for the Chairman and Vice Chairmen of Upozila Council through direct vote, nominated and vetted by Gram Sarkers, Union Councils, and Honorary Council Members.
Any candidate affiliated with any political party will not be eligible to run for any position.
Must have at least a Bachelor Degree from any accredited educational Institution
Candidates must have clean records, no history of oppressive behavior, any legal records and or history of any subversive activities.
All heads of the Union Councils and Mayors, if any, will be ex-official of the Upozila Council

04.Zila Porishod

Election will be held only for the Chairman of Zila Council through direct vote, nominations will be vetted by Gram Sarker, Union Council, Mayors, if any, and Upozila Members and Honorary Council Members of the Jurisdiction.
Any candidate affiliated with any political party will not be eligible to run for any position.
Must have at least a Bachelor Degree from any accredited educational Institution
Candidates must have clean records, no history of oppressive behavior, any legal records and or history of any subversive activities.
All heads of the Upozila Councils, Mayors, District Commissioner, Superintendent of Police will be ex-officio of the Zila Council

05.The National Parliament

There will a Bicameral Parliamentary system in Bangladesh – Lower House and Upper House for a balanced and representative government structure. Elections will be held under a combination of First Past-The-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) election systems. This would promote a more balanced and representative government structure.

The Lower House: There will be 300 members in the lower house and will be elected via First Past-The-Post (FPTP). Any person, both partizan and non-partizan candidates, can file for the nomination to the Election Commission.
Candidacy Vetting System: Candidacy will be vetted by members of Gram Sharker, Union, Pouro, Upozila, and Zilla Council members including all Honorary Council Members of the Jurisdiction. All vetted candidates will be on the ballot for the General Election.
Positional Scoring rules will be used for selecting candidates. Each Gram Sharker, Union, Pouro, Upozila, Zila Council and Honorary Council members will be allocated with 10 votes. Once a list of candidates is received from the EC, they will allocate their votes to as many candidates as they feel will serve them the best. The condition remains that all 10 votes must be used by each member, but no more than five (5) votes can go to any single candidate. The Election Commission will tally all votes received from Gram, Union, Pouro, Upozila, and Zila Councils and Honorary Council members of the jurisdiction and will finalize the candidates based on number of votes they received and will be included in the ballot. Any candidate who failed to secure 10% of total vote counts will not be eligible for the candidacy.
Eligibility Criteria:

Members must not have any legal records or history of subversive matters.
Members must hold at least a Bachelor degree from any accredited educational institution.
No former government employee, retired/terminated/resigned within the past 10 years of the election can participate in the election.

The Upper House: There will 80 Members in the Upper House - 64 seats for 64 Districts and 16 Overhang seats. Any person, both partizan and non-partizan candidates, can file the nomination paper to the Election Commission for each District with detailed information to the EC. Each party will provide a list of their recommended members as probable candidates for the respective District. The EC will forward the lists of all nominees to Gram sharker/Union, Pouro, Upozila Council/Zila Councils and Honorary Councils for vetting the candidates for the respective Districts. The seats will be allocated based on the Proportional Representation (PR) basis.
The vetting and approving system for candidates for the Upper House will be based on the Positional Scoring rules as described above. Each voter ranks the candidates from best to worst, each candidate based on his/her rank will be in the final list. The Upper House seats will be allocated on a Proportional Representation (PR) basis based on the highest popular votes received by party or Independents from that District/or Nation wide.
The rest 16 seats will be allocated by the President of the nation based on special qualification quotas, such as economists, engineers, architects, political scientists, social workers, authors, cultural groups, etc. Out of this 16 seats in the Upper House at least 5 seats to be reserved for NRBs.

Eligibility Criteria:

Members must not have any legal records or history of subversive matters.
Members must hold at least a Bachelor degree from any accredited educational institution
No former government employee, retired/terminated/resigned within the past 10 years of the election can participate in the election.
Clean records

Bangladeshi Americans Demand Sustainable Democracy in Bangladesh