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 needed for a majority
Registered56,716,935
Turnout75.60% (Increase54.63pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Sheikh Hasina Khaleda Zia H.M. Ershad
Party AL BNP JP(E)
Last election Boycotted 278 seats Boycotted
Seats won 146 116 32
Seat change Increase 146 Decrease162 Increase32
Popular vote 15,882,792 14,255,986 6,954,981
Percentage 37.44% 33.63% 16.40%

Results by constituency

Prime Minister before election

Khaleda Zia
BNP

Subsequent Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina
AL

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 and rest to Jatiya Party.[9][7]

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Awami League15,882,79237.44146New
Bangladesh Nationalist Party14,255,98633.61116–184
Jatiya Party6,954,98116.4032New
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami3,653,0138.613New
Islami Oikya Jote461,5171.091New
Jaker Party167,5970.400New
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab)97,9160.231New
Workers Party of Bangladesh56,4040.130New
Gano Forum54,2500.130New
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu)50,9440.120New
Communist Party of Bangladesh48,5490.110New
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh45,5850.110New
Sammilita Sangram Parishad40,8030.100New
Bangladesh Freedom Party38,9740.090New
Samridhya Bangladesh Andolon27,0830.060New
Bangladesh Islami Front23,6960.060New
Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan18,3970.040New
Bangladesh Jatiyabadi Awami League11,1900.030New
Islami Shasantantra Andolon11,1590.030New
Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (Khalekuzzaman)10,2340.020New
Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Mahbub)6,7910.020New
Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP Bashani)5,9480.010New
Bangladesh Muslim League (Jamir Ali)4,5800.010New
Ganotantri Party4,1140.010New
Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP)3,6200.010New
Democratic Republican Party3,6050.010New
Bangladesh Janata Party3,3640.010New
Jatiya Janata Party (Nurul Islam)2,9860.010New
Jatiya Janata Party (Sheikh Asad)2,3950.010New
Social Democratic Party1,9380.000New
Bangladesh Gano Azadi League1,6830.000New
Progotisil Jatiata Badi Dal1,5150.000New
Hak Kathar Mancha1,3400.000New
Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal (Marxist-Leninst)1,1480.000New
Sramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal9640.000New
Communist Kendra8880.000New
Jatiya Biplobi Front6310.000New
Saat Dalya Jote (Mirpur)6020.000New
Bangladesh Hindu League5700.000New
Bangladesh Peoples Party5580.000New
Bangladesh Bekar Samaj5480.000New
Bangladesh Tafsil Jati Federation (S.K. Mandal)5370.000New
Desh Prem Party5320.000New
Ganotantrik Sarbahara Party5020.000New
Bangladesh Jatiya League (Sobhan)4180.000New
Jana Dal3950.000New
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Mahiuddin)3930.000New
Jatiya Seba Dal3650.000New
National Democratic Party3530.000New
Bangladesh Krisak Sramik Janata Party2940.000New
Islami Al Zihad Dal2880.000New
Bangladesh Sarbahara Party2480.000New
Jatiya Daridra Party2440.000New
Sramajibi Oikya Forum2290.000New
Islamic Dal Bangladesh (Saifur)2210.000New
Bangladesh People's League2130.000New
Bangladesh Samajtantrik Samsad (Darshan Shava)2090.000New
Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Mukti Andolon1890.000New
Gano Oikkya Front (Guff)1860.000New
Bangladesh Mehanati Front1730.000New
Bangladesh Tafsili Federation (Sudir)1500.000New
People's Muslim League1400.000New
National Awami Party (NAP Bhashani)1380.000New
Quran Dorshion Sangshta Bangladesh1370.000New
Progatishil Gonotantrik Shakti1340.000New
Bangladesh Islami Party1320.000New
Bangladesh Jatiya Agragati Party1310.000New
Oikya Prokria1120.000New
Bangladesh Bashani Adarsha Bastabayan Parishad1070.000New
Bangladesh Bastuhara Parishad1050.000New
Bangladesh National Congress990.000New
Quran Sunna Bastabayan Party820.000New
Bangladesh Tanjimul Muslimin810.000New
Samridhya Bangladesh Babosai Samproday480.000New
Bashani Front450.000New
Bangladesh Krishak Raj Islami Party330.000New
National Patriotic Party310.000New
Bangladesh Islami Biplobi Parishad290.000New
Taherikay Olama-e-Bangladesh290.000New
United People's Party260.000New
Bangladesh Manabodjikar Dal200.000New
Independents449,6181.061New
Total42,418,274100.003000
Valid votes42,418,27498.92
Invalid/blank votes462,3021.08
Total votes42,880,576100.00
Registered voters/turnout56,716,93575.60
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. S2CID 220874021.
  10. "IPU PARLINE database: BANGLADESH (Jatiya Sangsad), Elections in 2001". archive.ipu.org. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
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