The Ganatantrik Odhikar Committeeโa platform of civil society leaders that initially supported the 2024 regime changeโhas strongly deplored the anti-people measures taken by the Jamaat-influenced and army-backed interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, a day before the elections.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the committee accused the interim government of oppressing caste, gender, and religious minorities over the past 18 months and entering into several secret and opaque foreign agreements without public consent, thereby endangering national interests.
The civil society leaders sharply criticised the selective reservation system for women in the parliamentary setup, noting that women candidates constitute only about 4% across all parties. Several parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, fielded no women candidates at all, which has caused widespread disappointment.
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The statement emphasised that this election holds great importance for the people of Bangladesh, as democratic transformation was central to the public’s aspirations during the uprising. However, the pervasive use of muscle power, money in election campaigns, and the reiteration of patriarchal attitudes toward women candidates have tarnished the process.
It further noted that Bangladesh remains far from achieving an inclusive parliament that adequately represents workers, farmers, indigenous communities, women, gender-diverse populations, and other hardworking citizens.
Despite these shortcomings, the committee urged people from all walks of life in Bangladesh to exercise their civic rights by voting in the election and to actively resist forces that undermine democracy or foster discrimination based on class, gender, religion, or ethnicity.
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