Dual citizenship: Bangladesh’s latest political flashpoint before elections

Dhaka, Bangladesh — Chanting slogans extracurricular the office of the Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC) connected Sunday, pupil activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) accused the assemblage of bias, arsenic constabulary and borderline guards stood watch.

Ahead of the February 12 nationalist vote, the members of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) — the BNP’s pupil helping — were demanding that the BEC let candidates with dual citizenship to contest.

The aforesaid night, though, the polling authorization came nether verbal onslaught from the other governmental country too. Leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP), which emerged from the protests that led to the ouster of past Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina successful August 2024, besides accused the BEC of bias and acting successful favour of the BNP.

The competing accusations against the predetermination assemblage underscore a deepening disagreement implicit who should beryllium allowed to contention successful the elections that threatens to derail the country’s preparations for the elections.

NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan said astatine a quality league connected Sunday that the enactment mightiness reconsider its information successful the election.

The dispute

Under Bangladeshi law, overseas citizens are barred from contesting parliamentary elections.

During scrutiny of information papers and a consequent nine-day entreaty process that ended connected Sunday, the BEC reviewed dozens of objections related to the alleged dual citizenship of 25 candidates.

Ultimately, the committee upheld the candidacy of 23 candidates and cancelled the nominations of the remaining two.

In respective instances, the BEC cleared the nominations aft candidates submitted documents oregon affidavits stating that they had renounced, oregon applied to renounce, overseas citizenship.

All parties look to person benefitted from the BEC’s determination to let these candidatures. Of the 23 that were approved, 10 beryllium to the BNP. Four candidates of the Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist radical and the NCP’s conjugation partner, were besides approved, arsenic good arsenic an NCP candidate, contempt questions implicit dual citizenship. Another approved campaigner belongs to the Khelafat Majlis, besides an confederation spouse of the Jamaat and the NCP.

The remaining 7 candidates to beryllium approved by the BEC beryllium to smaller parties oregon are contesting arsenic independents, not allied with either of the 2 starring groups.

The NCP claims that its candidate, whose information was nether scrutiny, had not informed it astir his dual citizenship, and the enactment has decided to retreat his candidacy successful the election.

Mahabub Alam, an NCP person who attended the BEC hearings wherever the complaints were heard, told Al Jazeera: “Requiring candidates to beryllium they person renounced overseas citizenship portion accepting lone aboriginal commitments constitutes selective and unconstitutional treatment.”

He claimed that the attack “favours definite parties”, alluding to the BNP, whose candidates are the largest beneficiaries of the BEC determination to let immoderate dual citizens to contest. Alam pointed retired that candidates who had submitted applications to renounce overseas citizenships could besides retreat those pleas earlier a last decision, without Bangladeshi authorities needfully getting to know.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin rejected the allegations of bias, saying the decisions were guided by a tendency to guarantee participation.

“We privation an predetermination with information from each sides,” helium told candidates and their representatives aft the hearings. “We person not delivered immoderate judgement with bias.”

Past way record

Bangladesh presently allows its citizens to get a 2nd citizenship from a database of 103 countries.

However, Article 66(2) of its Constitution disqualifies a idiosyncratic if they get the citizenship of a overseas state.

The existent conflict lines are drawn implicit interpretations of what the Constitution says. Does a campaigner request to implicit the ceremonial renunciation of overseas citizenship earlier submitting information papers? Or is applying to relinquish that citizenship capable to debar disqualification?

Critics reason that accepting affidavits oregon verbal assurances weakens law safeguards and allows selective enforcement.

Under United Kingdom procedures, for instance, a declaration of renunciation indispensable beryllium registered by the Home Office earlier it takes effect; until then, the applicant remains a British citizen.

The BEC has not publically issued elaborate ineligible reasoning for idiosyncratic decisions truthful far.

The committee has, however, antecedently cancelled candidacies implicit dual citizenship. In January 2024, Shammi Ahmed, a nominee of Hasina’s Awami League enactment for Barishal-4 constituency, had her candidacy cancelled by the BEC implicit dual citizenship allegations — a determination aboriginal upheld by the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division.

Political unit intensifies

The quality moved beyond the Election Commission connected Sunday evening erstwhile a Jamaat-e-Islami delegation, led by enactment main Shafiqur Rahman, met interim authorities caput Muhammad Yunus.

After the meeting, Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, Jamaat’s lawman chief, besides accused the BEC of bias successful decisions connected campaigner nominations, including connected questions of dual citizenship.

Without naming immoderate party, Taher said Jamaat had heard that unit was being exerted connected the committee to forestall the cancellation of nominations that should different person been declared invalid owed to ineligible flaws.

“We privation to authorities intelligibly that the Election Commission indispensable not bow to immoderate unit — whoever the enactment whitethorn be, adjacent if it is Jamaat-e-Islami,” helium said.

A time later, connected Monday afternoon, an NCP delegation led by enactment convener Nahid Islam besides met Yunus, accusing the BEC of acting nether unit from the BNP successful allowing candidates accused of holding overseas citizenship to contest.

Speaking to journalists afterwards, Nahid said the committee had deviated from its ineligible position.

“There are candidates with dual citizenship successful the BNP, and determination are candidates with dual citizenship successful Jamaat,” helium said. “Which enactment they beryllium to is not the issue. The contented is whether the instrumentality is being applied arsenic to everyone.”

“It is wide that the committee has moved distant from the ineligible presumption nether unit from 1 enactment and is utilizing a flawed mentation of the instrumentality to springiness these candidates an opportunity,” helium added.

“If the Election Commission cannot support neutrality, however tin we expect a just election?” Nahid said, informing that continued bias would rise doubts astir the credibility of the vote.

Nahid said the enactment would situation the decisions successful tribunal and could instrumentality to the streets if necessary.

‘Ethically problematic too’

Political expert Mohiuddin Ahmad said allowing dual citizens to tally was not lone unconstitutional but besides “ethically problematic”.

He questioned whether allegiance to different authorities could beryllium reconciled with representing Bangladeshi voters.

“If the committee knowingly overlooks law requirements, it undermines its mandate and risks invalidating the predetermination itself,” helium told Al Jazeera.

Dilara Choudhury, a governmental analyst, said affidavits unsocial were insufficient to conscionable ineligible requirements and warned that the BEC risked losing motivation authorization if it failed to adhere strictly to procedure.

“If the Election Commission’s representation arsenic neutral is damaged, however tin it present a credible election?” she said. “If the predetermination becomes questionable and citizens suffer trust, it volition beryllium a futile workout — and the authorities formed done it volition besides look questions of legitimacy.”