June 1996 Bangladeshi general election

General elections were held in Bangladesh on 12 June 1996. The result was a victory for the Bangladesh Awami League, which won 146 of the 300 seats, beginning Sheikh Hasina's first-term as Prime Minister. Voter turnout was 74.96%, the highest to date.[1] This election was the second to be held in 1996, following controversial elections held in February a few months earlier.

June 1996 Bangladeshi general election

12 June 1996

All 300 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad
151 seats were needed for a majority
Registered56,716,935
Turnout74.96 53.96 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Sheikh Hasina Khaleda Zia Hussain Muhammad Ershad
Party Awami League BNP JP(E)
Leader since 1981 1984 1986
Leader's seat Gopalganj-3 Feni-1 Rangpur-3
Last election Boycotted 100%, 300 seats Boycotted
Seats won 146 116 32
Seat change 146 184 32
Popular vote 15,882,792 14,255,986 6,954,981
Percentage 37.4% 33.6% 16.4%
Swing 66.4%

Prime Minister before election

Khaleda Zia
BNP

Subsequent Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina
Awami League

Electoral system

In 1996, the 330 members of the Jatiya Sangsad consisted of 300 directly elected seats using first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies,[2] and an additional 30 seats reserved for women. The reserved seats are distributed based on the election results.[3] Each parliament sits for a five-year term.

Background

The June 1996 election marked the second general election to be held within only a four-month period. Previously in February, a general election had been held which was boycotted by all major opposition parties. The opposition were demanding the installation of a neutral caretaker government to oversee the election, citing a 1994 by-election (which they alleged to have been rigged) as evidence of the BNP's inability to hold a free and fair election. Despite the boycott the February election went ahead and the incumbent Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's BNP was re-elected for the second term in a landslide victory, with the majority of seats uncontested. The voting was denounced as unfair by the three main opposition parties and the voter turnout was the lowest in Bangladesh's parliamentary electoral history at only 21%.

Following the election, President Abdur Rahman Biswas invited Zia to form a government, but this administration was short lived, lasting only 12 days.[4] A series of hartals (strikes) were called by the other parties and an indefinite non-cooperation movement was called until demands for a new, free election was met. On 25 March 1996, following escalating political turmoil, the sitting Parliament enacted the thirteenth constitutional amendment to allow a neutral caretaker government to assume power and conduct new parliamentary elections. On 30 March the President appointed former Chief Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman as Chief Advisor (a position equivalent to prime minister) in the interim government. A new election was scheduled for 12 June 1996.

Campaign

During the election campaign there was an attempted coup d'état by the military.[5] On 12 May, President Biswas fired General Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim, Chief of the Staff of the Army, due to his refusal to carry out a presidential order to retire two of his generals who were alleged to be consorting with political parties in violation of military rules. Nasim revolted against the President and organised troops loyal to him. Consequently, President Biswas dismissed Nasim and appointed a new chief of staff. Troops loyal to the President were mobilised to protect Government institutions in the capital and Nasim was arrested by military police and the attempted coup d'état failed.

A total of 2,574 candidates contested the elections. The Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh all put forward full slates of 300 candidates. The Jatiya Party ran 293 candidate, Islami Oikkya Jote 166 and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab) 67, with other minor parties nominating a combined 864 candidates. 284 candidates ran as independents.[6]

Results

The elections were won by the Bangladesh Awami League, who were just shy of a simple parliamentary majority, winning 146 (of the required 151 for a majority) seats. The election was close in terms of popular vote share between Awami League and BNP, with a difference of less than 4%. However, as a result of first-past-the-post voting, Awami League secured a 30-seat lead above BNP. The election saw a high voter turnout of ~74%.[7]

With the support of Jatiya Party,[8] the leader of Awami League, Sheikh Hasina, was invited to form a government on 23 June, beginning her first term as Prime Minister. The first sitting of the seventh parliament of Bangladesh was subsequently held on 14 July 1996.[4]

Of the 300 directly elected seats, only eight were won by female candidates.[9][7] An additional 30 seats were reserved in the Jatiya Sangsad for women, of which 27 were awarded to Awami League.[9][7]

Percentage of the seats won

  Awami League (48.7%)
  Bangladesh Nationalist Party (38.7%)
  Jatiya Party (10.7%)
  Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (1%)
  All other parties & Independents (1%)

Popular vote share

  Awami League (37.4%)
  Bangladesh Nationalist Party (33.6%)
  Jatiya Party (16.4%)
  Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (8.6%)
  All other parties & Independents (4%)
Party Votes % Seats +/–
Bangladesh Awami League15,882,79237.4146New
Bangladesh Nationalist Party14,255,98633.6116–184
Jatiya Party6,954,98116.432New
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh3,653,0138.63New
Islami Oikkya Jote461,5171.11New
Jaker Party167,5970.40New
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab)97,9160.21New
Workers Party of Bangladesh56,4040.10New
Gano Forum54,2500.10New
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu)50,9440.10New
Communist Party48,5490.10New
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam45,5850.10New
Sammilita Sangram Parishad40,8030.10New
Freedom Party38,9740.10New
Samridhya Bangladesh Andolon27,0830.10New
Bangladesh Islami Front23,6960.10New
Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan18,3970.00New
Bangladesh Jatiyabadi Awami League11,1900.00New
Islami Shasantantra Andolon11,1590.00New
Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (Khalekuzzaman)10,2340.00New
Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Mahbub)6,7910.00New
Bangladesh National Awami Party (Nap Vasani)5,9480.00New
Bangladesh Muslim League (Jamir Ali)4,5800.00New
Gonatantry Party4,1140.00New
Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP)3,6200.00New
Democratic Republican Party3,6050.00New
Bangladesh Janata Party3,3640.00New
Jatiya Janata Party (Nurul Islam)2,9860.00New
Jatiya Janata Party (Sheikh Asad)2,3950.00New
Social Democratic Party1,9380.00New
Bangladesh Gono Azadi League1,6830.00New
Progotisil Jatiata Badi Dal1,5150.00New
Hak Kathar Mancha1,3400.00New
Bangladesh Samaybadi dal (Marxist-Leninst)1,1480.00New
Sramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal9640.00New
Communist Kendra8880.00New
Jatiya Biplobi Front6310.00New
Saat Dalya Jote (Mirpur)6020.00New
Bangladesh Hindu League5700.00New
Bangladesh Peoples Party5580.00New
Bangladesh Bekar Samaj5480.00New
Bangladesh Tafsil Jati Federation (S.K. Mandal)5370.00New
Desh Prem Party5320.00New
Gontantrik Sarbara Party5020.00New
Bangladesh Jatiya League (Sobhan)4180.00New
Jana Dal3950.00New
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Mahiuddin)3930.00New
Jatiya Seba Dal3650.00New
National Damocratic Party3530.00New
Bangladesh Krisak Sramik Janata Party2940.00New
Islami Al Zihad Dal2880.00New
Bangladesh Sarbahara Party2480.00New
Jatiya Daridra Party2440.00New
Sramajibi Oikya Forum2290.00New
Islamic Dal Bangladesh (Saifur)2210.00New
Bangladesh People's League2130.00New
Bangladesh Samajtantrik Samsad (Darshan Shava)2090.00New
Bangladesh Krisak Sramik Mukti Andolon1890.00New
Gono Oikkya Front (Guff)1860.00New
Bangladesh Mehanati Front1730.00New
Bangladesh Tafsili Federation (Sudir)1500.00New
People's Muslim League1400.00New
National Awami Party (NAP Bhashani)1380.00New
Quran Dorshion Sangshta Bangladesh1370.00New
Progatishil Gonotantrik Shakti1340.00New
Bangladesh Islami Party1320.00New
Bangladesh Jatiya Agragati Party1310.00New
Oikya Prockria1120.00New
Bangladesh Vasani Adarsha Bastabayan Parishad1070.00New
Bangladesh Bastuhara Parishad1050.00New
Bangladesh National Congress990.00New
Quran Sunna Bastabayan Party820.00New
Bangladesh Tanjimul Muslimin810.00New
Samridhya Bangladesh Babosai Samproday480.00New
Bhasani Front450.00New
Bangladesh Krishak Raj Islami Party330.00New
National Patriotic Party310.00New
Bangladesh Islami Biplobi Parishad290.00New
Taherikay Olama-e-Bangladesh290.00New
United People's Party260.00New
Bangladesh Manabodjikar Dal200.00New
Independents449,6181.11New
Invalid/blank votes462,302
Total42,880,5761003000
Registered voters/turnout56,716,93575.6
Source: Bangladesh Election Commission

Aftermath

Hasina's administration completed its full five-year term (the first parliamentary administration to ever do so[10]) and the next elections were held in October 2001.

References

  1. "Election Publication" (PDF). Election Commission. 2016.
  2. Electoral system IPU
  3. Ahmed, Nizam; Hasan, Sadik (2018). "Alangkar or Ahangkar? Reserved-Seat Women Members in the Bangladesh Parliament" (PDF). In Ahmed, Nizam (ed.). Women in Governing Institions in South Asia. Springer. p. 18. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-57475-2_2. ISBN 978-3-319-57474-5.
  4. "Tenure of All Parliaments". 2018-08-12. Archived from the original on 2018-08-12. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  5. Kochanek, Stanley A. (February 1997). "Bangladesh in 1996: The 25th Year of Independence". Asian Survey. 37 (2): 136–142. doi:10.2307/2645479. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 2645479.
  6. Statistical Report: 7th Jatiya Shangshad election Bangladesh Election Commission
  7. "BANGLADESH: parliamentary elections Jatiya Sangsad, 1996". archive.ipu.org. Inter-Parliamentary Union. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  8. "After steering Awami League to power, Sheikh Hasina now faces political, economic challenges". India Today. 15 July 1996.
  9. Kumar Panday, Pranab (1 September 2008). "Representation without Participation: Quotas for Women in Bangladesh". International Political Science Review. 29 (4): 489–512. doi:10.1177/0192512108095724.
  10. "IPU PARLINE database: BANGLADESH (Jatiya Sangsad), Elections in 2001". archive.ipu.org. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
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