National Assembly Election of Bangladesh

 What is Election?

An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated since the 17th century.

National Assembly of Bangladesh

The Jatiya Sangsad (Bengali: জাতীয় সংসদ Jatiyô Sôngsôd; lit. ’National Parliament’), often referred to simply as the Sangsad or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of Bangladesh. Elected occupants are called Member of Parliament, or MP. Elections to the body are held every five years, unless a parliament is dissolved earlier by the President of Bangladesh.

National Assembly election in Bangladesh

Bangladesh elects on national level a legislature with one house or chamber. The unicameral Jatiyo Sangshad, meaning national parliament, has 350 members of which 300 members are directly elected through a national election for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies while 50 memberships are reserved for the women who are selected by the ruling party or coalition. The Prime Minister is the head of the government. The president who is the head of the state is elected by the National Parliament. The president of Bangladesh is a ceremonial post and he/she does not exercise any control over the running of the state.

Bangladesh Election Commission (EC)

Establishment of Election Commission

The Constitution of the People‌‌‍’s Republic of Bangladesh; PART VII; ELECTIONS (ACT NO. OF 1972)

118. (1) There shall be an Election Commission for Bangladesh consisting of ¹[the Chief Election Commissioner and not more than four Election Commissioners] and the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (if any) shall, subject to the provisions of any law made in that behalf, be made by the President.

(2) When the Election Commission consists of more than one person, the Chief Election Commissioner shall act as the chairman thereof. 

(3) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution the term of office of an Election Commissioner shall be five years from the date on which he enters upon his office, and – 

(a) a person who has held office as Chief Election Commissioner shall not be eligible for appointment in the service of the Republic; 

(b) any other Election Commissioner shall, on ceasing to hold office as such, be eligible for appointment as Chief Election Commissioner but shall not be otherwise eligible for appointment in the service of the Republic. 

(4) The Election Commission shall be independent in the exercise of its functions and subject only to this Constitution and any other law.  

(5) Subject to the provisions of any law made by Parliament, the conditions of service of Election Commissioners shall be such as the President may, by order, determine: 

Provided that an Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of the [Supreme Court].  

(6) An Election Commissioner may resign his office by writing under his hand addressed to the President.

Qualifications and disqualifications for election to Parliament

The Constitution of the People‌‌‍’s Republic of Bangladesh (ACT NO. OF 1972); Part V, THE LEGISTER; CHAPTER I: Parliament.

66. (1) A person shall subject to the provisions of clause (2), be qualified to be elected as, and to be, a member of Parliament if he is a citizen of Bangladesh and has attained the age of twenty-five years. 

(2) A person shall be disqualified for election as, or for being, a member of Parliament who  

(a) is declared by a competent court to be of unsound mind;  

(b) is an undischarged insolvent; 

(c) acquires the citizenship of, or affirms or acknowledges allegiance to, a foreign state;  

(d) has been, on conviction for a criminal offence involving moral turpitude, sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years, unless a period of five years has elapsed since his release

(e) has been convicted of any offence under the Bangladesh Collaborators (Special Tribunals) Order, 1972;  

(f) holds any office of profit in the service of the Republic other than an office which is declared by law not to be disqualified its holder; or] 

(g) is disqualified for such election by or under any law. 

[(2A) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-clause (c) of clause (2) of this article, if any person being a citizen of Bangladesh by birth acquires the citizenship of a foreign State and thereafter such person- 

(i) in the case of dual citizenship, gives up the foreign citizenship ; or 

(ii) in other cases, again accepts the citizenship of Bangladesh- for the purposes of this article, he shall not be deemed to acquire the citizenship of a foreign State.]

[(3) For the purposes of this article, a person shall not be deemed to hold an office of profit in the service of the Republic by reason only that he is the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, a Minister, Minister of State or Deputy Minister.]  

(4) If any dispute arises as to whether a member of Parliament has, after his election, become subject to any of the disqualifications mentioned in clause (2) or as to whether a member of Parliament should vacate his seat pursuant to article 70, the dispute shall be referred to the Election Commission to hear and determine it and the decision of the Commission on such reference shall be final.  

(5) Parliament may, by law, make such provision as it deems necessary for empowering the Election Commission to give full effect to the provisions of clause (4)

Elected Parties in Earlier Elections

Since independence in 1971, 11 general elections have been held in Bangladesh to elect members of the Jatiya Sangsad.

Year	Elected Party	Votes	%	Seats
1970	Awami League	12,338,921	74.9%	160
1973	Awami League	13,798,717	73.20%	293
1979	Bangladesh Nationalist Party	7,934,236	41.179%	207
1986	Jatiya Party	12,079,259	42.34%	153
1988	Jatiya Party	17,080,133	68.44%	251
1991	Bangladesh Nationalist Party	10,507,549	30.8%	140
1996	Awami League	15,882,792	37.48%	146
2001	Bangladesh Nationalist Party	22,833,298	40.9%	193
2008	Awami League	33,654,629	48.84%	230
2014	Awami League	36,173,083	79.14%	234
2018	Awami League	63,523,066	74.63%	252