1986 Bangladeshi presidential election

none September 2024 Presidential Bangladesh 1981 Bangladeshi presidential election 1981 1991 Bangladeshi presidential election 1991 15 October 1986 54.89% Jatiya Party (Ershad) Hussain Muhammad Ershad.jpg 100 100 120 0 0 H.M Ershad 21,795,337 84.10% Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan Muhammadullah Hafezzi 100 100 120 0 0 1,510,456 5.83% President H.M Ershad Military H.M Ershad Jatiya Party (Ershad) Presidential elections were held in Bangladesh on 15 October 1986.Dieter Nohlen Dieter Nohlen Florian Grotz Christof Hartmann 2001 Elections in Asia: A data handbook I 525 0-19-924958-X The result was a victory for incumbent Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who had assumed the office in 1983 following a military coup. Ershad reportedly received 84% of the vote with a voter turnout of 55%.Nohlen et al., p545 However the elections were controversial as they were boycotted by all major opposition candidates and there were reports of irregularities.Bangladesh Chief Claims Vote Victory https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/17/world/bangladesh-chief-claims-vote-victory.html The New York Times 17 October 1986 Background In 1982 a coup d'état led by Army Chief Hussain Muhammad Ershad overthrew democratically elected President Abdus Sattar. Parliament was dissolved and all political activity was banned. Ershad appointed Justice A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury as President on 27 March 1982, a position which he held until December 1983 when Ershad assumed the presidency himself.Bangladesh Leader in Military Regime Assumes Presidency https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/12/world/bangladesh-leader-in-military-regime-assumes-presidency.html The New York Times 12 December 1983 In 1983 Ershad promised to hold presidential elections in May 1984 and to restore parliamentary government the following year. However, neither elections were held until 1986. Amid opposition from the general public, Ershad aimed to legitimise his regime by holding a referendum in March 1985.https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/03/21/Bangladesh-holds-referendum-on-military-rule/2820480229200/ Bangladesh holds referendum on military rule UPI en 29 December 2018 The official result of the referendum was overwhelmingly in support of his regime, however there were allegations of large-scale vote rigging.https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-152587 Ershad's desperate bids go in vain 28 August 2010 The Daily Star en 29 December 2018 Ershad planned to hold presidential elections in early 1986, but was faced with vigorous opposition from the Awami League-led eight-party alliance, Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed seven-party alliance and the left-leaning five-party alliance, which all demanded the lifting of martial law and the holding of parliamentary elections prior to a presidential election. On 1 January 1986 Ershad formed Jatiya Party (Ershad) to represent his interests in elections and, conceding to opposition demands, parliamentary elections were held on 7 May 1986, which were won by Ershad's Jatiya Party. However the result was controversial as the elections were boycotted by the BNP and Awami League, which accused the Jatiya Party of election rigging. A British team of observers termed the elections a "tragedy for democracy" and a "cynically frustrated exercise". Ershad resigned as Chief of Army Staff on 30 August 1986 and, with the approval of the new parliament, a presidential election was scheduled for 15 October 1986. However, the election was boycotted by all major opposition party candidates, who demanded the lifting of martial law. Results The elections saw Ershad win in a landslide victory, reportedly receiving 84% of the vote. However, the result was viewed with scepticism, with reports of widespread irregularities. The New York Times reported that voter turnout was much lower than the government claimed and that very few people were able to vote in Dhaka due to an opposition-sponsored strike. The newspaper also reported that election officials were seen putting ballots in the boxes themselves and that "reporters saw voter sheets in which all the votes on one page were listed as having been cast, while almost none of the voters on another page had voted, suggesting that officials had marked up the lists themselves". Some people were seen with more than one purple stamp on their hands, suggesting that they had been able to vote more than once. Despite the opposition boycott and reports of widespread irregularities, Ershad claimed victory stating "This is the day that we negotiated the last bridge toward a democratic government. Today my pledge to the nation stands fulfilled." Hussain Muhammad Ershad Jatiya Party 21795337 Muhammadullah Hafezzi Independent 1510456 Syed Faruque Rahman Bangladesh Freedom Party 1202303 Nine other candidates 1408195 380745 47912443 Nohlen et al. Aftermath In November 1986 Parliament passed the seventh constitutional amendment bill, protecting Ershad and his regime from prosecution for actions taken under the years of military rule. Martial law was subsequently lifted on 11 November.https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/11/11/martial-law-ends-in-bangladesh/2be0301b-5fc2-4e63-93d8-ff368b939a3b/ Martial Law Ends in Bangladesh 11 November 1986 The Washington Post 29 December 2018 en-US 0190-8286 In July 1987 the opposition groups united to lead mass demonstrations and strikes in opposition to the Ershad regime.https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/bangladeshis-bring-down-ershad-regime-1987-1990 Bangladeshis bring down Ershad regime, 1987-1990 17 November 2012 Global Nonviolent Action Database en 30 December 2018 Ershad declared a state of emergency on 27 November.Protest Banned, Curfew Imposed in Bangladesh https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-28-mn-5961-story.html Los Angeles Times 28 November 1987 Parliament was dissolved on 6 December,http://www.parliament.gov.bd/index.php/en/about-parliament/tenure-of-parliament Tenure of All Parliaments 30 December 2012 Parliament of Bangladesh en 30 December 2018 and parliamentary elections were held in March 1988. All major political parties refused to participate resulting in a victory for Jatiya Party (Ershad). In 1988 Parliament passed the eighth amendment to the Constitution, which made Islam the state religion,https://www.reuters.com/article/bangladesh-islam-state-idUSKCN0W91XJ After 28 years, Bangladesh revives case to drop Islam as state... 7 March 2016 Reuters 29 December 2018 en in contravention of the original secular nature of the Constitution.September 2024 In 1990 a popular mass uprising led by future Prime Ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina led to Ershad resigning from the Presidency,WORLD: Ershad Resigns in Bangladesh https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-06-mn-8405-story.html Los Angeles Times 6 December 1990 and the country returning to parliamentary democracy, with the Office of the President becoming a largely ceremonial one.September 2024 References President Bangladesh Category:Presidential elections in Bangladesh Presidential Category:Election and referendum articles with incomplete results Category:Hussain Muhammad Ershad