50 per cent of citizens are optimistic about the country’s future after the election.
The dialogue found that most people do not have a clear understanding of referendums.
Some 40 per cent of people in the country are aware of the referendum scheduled to be held on 12 February, while 30 per cent of people believe that the July National Charter will be implemented.
Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) shared this information at a roundtable titled “Peaceful elections and prevention of violence: field-level experiences” held in the capital's Gulashan on Wednesday.
The BEI said it conducted dialogues among voters and spot surveys at the field level. These figures came up from these surveys.
A total of 400 men and women directly took part in the dialogues and spot surveys, while BEI also held informal interactions with 200 people. Among them were local influential figures and representatives of civil society.
In addition, representatives of various law enforcement agencies, as well as candidates and citizens from each area, shared their opinions.
BEI said 50 per cent of citizens are optimistic about the country’s future after the election, while more than 60 per cent expect the election to be free of violence. People want an election to be held through a free, fair and democratic process. They expect there will be no rigging, intimidation or bias in the election.
The agency further said the dialogues revealed that most people do not have a clear understanding of the referendum. Voters have demanded wider publicity and awareness campaigns on the referendum.
The findings of the dialogues and surveys were presented by BEI deputy director Samiul Haque.
At the roundtable, chief adviser’s special assistant professor Ali Riaz said the 13th parliamentary election would be different from the previous 12 elections in Bangladesh.
He said this election would determine whether Bangladesh embarks on a journey towards democratic transition. If political parties, analysts and other relevant stakeholders fail to understand this reality, Bangladesh could face serious trouble in the future.
Describing the absence of an institutional framework as a major challenge to democratic transition, professor Ali Riaz said the responsibility lies with political parties to decide whether they are genuinely committed to building the institutions that underpin a democratic system.
Referring to the role of the existing constitution in facilitating authoritarianism in the past, professor Ali Riaz said if political parties treat the 12 February election as a routine exercise aimed merely at a change of power, democratic transition in the country would become almost impossible.
Professor Ali Riaz said it would not be possible to build a new Bangladesh while keeping the existing constitution intact.
He added that if the reforms undertaken by the interim government are not placed before parliament within 30 working days by the party that assumes power through the election, those reforms would automatically become ineffective.
Professor Ali Riaz described the July National Charter as an agreement between political parties and the common people.
He said political parties must take responsibility to implement this agreement.
At the roundtable, BEI president and former diplomat M Humayun Kabir delivered the welcome address. He said that ahead of the election, they had conducted field-level surveys to gauge public expectations, opinions, and presence.
The former diplomat noted that, based on public opinion, the people of the country are already prepared for the upcoming parliamentary election. However, he added, the people still harbours concerns on several issues, even though they are spontaneously awaiting the opportunity to cast their votes.
Humayun Kabir said that, at the field level, they have observed the country’s young generation eagerly awaiting the opportunity to vote in the upcoming parliamentary election.
BEI believes that four million young voters will play a decisive role in the election outcome. In addition, nearly 51 per cent of female voters are also expected to influence the results.
BEI fellow and former diplomat Farooq Sobhan said that people are concerned about electoral violence.
Voters have repeatedly expressed their fears and worries about security, a fair voting process, administrative impartiality, and potential unrest.
Professor Amena Mohsin at the Department of International Relations of Dhaka University noted that the reforms being discussed are not visible in the activities of political parties.
She urged political parties to clearly state their positions regarding relations with neighbouring countries.
Other speakers at the event included Bangladesh JASAD’s permanent committee member Mushtaq Hossain, NCP representative Alauddin Mohammed, AB Party representative Altaf Hossain, and National Democratic Party’s Abdullah Al Harun.