Democracy around us seems in terrible shape

Sheikh Hasina's win in Bangladesh was hollow as it was opposition-free while Pakistan's polls may be headed for a farce with Imran Khan's party in fetters. This isn't good for India

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Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina swept the country's 7 January elections to achieve a fourth straight term in power, with her Awami League party winning a heavy majority of the parliamentary seats up for contest. It is another matter that these were not contested in any real sense, as the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had boycotted the polls. This was reflected in a dismal voter turnout of about 40%, less than half the 2018 figure. The BNP had demanded elections to be held under a neutral administration that may have instilled confidence, but the opposition party faced strong-arm tactics instead in a crackdown on protests, leaving the result all too predictable. In spite of tight security across this country of 170 million, several eruptions of violence were reported, with at least a dozen polling centres and a couple of schools set on fire in the hours before voting. As PM for a decade-and-a-half, Hasina was allegedly in a scramble to get poll candidates onto ballots to keep up the pretence of a free election capt