The eighth parliamentary election, held on 1 October 2001, was unique in the electoral history of Bangladesh. It was held in the trail of seven parliamentary elections, three ­­­presidential elections, and three referendums since Bangladesh became independent in 1971. Given the tumultuous political history the voters shrugged off all the fears and trepidation and went to vote with the high aspiration that this election would contribute to stabilizing democracy.

The CCHRB Election Observation Report 2001, was prepared by the Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) for Coordinating Council for Human Rights in Bangladesh (CCHRB) in a very challenging situation. It presents information, analysis and insights on events, behavior of the political parties and politicians, legitimacy questions of the political parties, electorate, election violence, fraud, election observation efforts, etc.

The report tries to explain how important it is to make genuine efforts by all quarters for building democratic institution in this country. The caretaker government, a unique institution, which came into being because of political parties’ credibility crisis, was put to the real test. The Awami League, which ruled the country for its full five-year term alleged this interim government was not right in performing its duties. What we learn in the end is that the caretaker government must remain absolutely neutral in holding a “free and fair election” and building confidence among the electorate.

The report contains information on all major aspects of the election in Bangladesh such as: election observation, caretaker government, election schedule, political parties and candidates, preparation of the Election Commission and analysis of results. A chronology of important events centering on the election is included, as well as annexes with relevant and useful information i.e., the code of conduct, results, political parties and their symbols and management of CCHRB election monitoring.

Publication Details

Published: 2002
Language: English
Paperback: 66 pages
Editor: Philip Gain, Q. A. Tahmina and Shishir Moral
Prepared by: Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) for Coordinating Council for Human Rights in Bangladesh (CCHRB)
Price: Tk.200 / US$10