SMALL TOWN BANGLADESH PREPARES FOR ELECTIONS: THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 000812

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2018
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM PINR PINS BG
SUBJECT: SMALL TOWN BANGLADESH PREPARES FOR ELECTIONS: THE
VIEW FROM DUPCHANCHIA

Classified By: Classified Confidential by Geeta Pasi, CDA, a.i. Reason
1.4(b) and (d)

SUMMARY
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1. (U) Pre-election excitement in palpable in Dupchanchia,
one of the nine Bangladeshi municipalities holding elections
August 4. Located in the northwest district of Rangpur,
Dupchanchia has 13,000 inhabitants. The voters are focused
on local issue and personalities, and the political
machinations in Dhaka seem far away and largely irrelevant.
A visit to Dupchanchia confirmed Bangladeshis are excited
about the upcoming municipal elections and care more about
the candidate than the party. End Summary.

Dupchanchia Voters Upbeat
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2. (U) Crowded onto three wooden benches clustered around a
small table in an overcrowded tea stall, a group of fifteen
eager voters told us they closely follow the campaigns,
explaining that the real negotiations and bidding for votes
would begin two to three days before the elections. Our
interlocutors said threats by major parties in Dhaka to
boycott the elections would not affect voter turnout or
election outcome in Dupchanchia. They confirmed what we have
heard elsewhere, namely that candidate party affiliation
matters little in this election because voters are looking at
the person not the party.

Candidates Optimistic
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3. (U) Candidates were uniformly optimistic about their
electoral chances. One mayoral candidate is in jail, and his
wife is campaigning on his behalf. A key element of her
campaign has been that authorities filed a false case against
him for political reasons, an approach that has garnered
voter sympathy, she claims. Campaigns dominate the town's
activities. Black and white posters hang from the awnings of
local businesses and feature candidate photos and personal
identification symbols such as a pineapple, mango, chair, or
airplane. The pictoral symbols are particularly important as
tools to identify candidates for the 59% of the population
that is illiterate in Bangladesh.


Media Self-Censorship?
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4. (C) Journalists reported exercising increased self
censorship to avoid potential problems. More specifically,
they alleged military intervention and pressure, including
daily phone calls to suggest appropriate content and requests
to highlight military and Caretaker Government
accomplishments in articles.

An NGO Viewpoint
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5. (C) A representative from an internationally-funded NGO
engaged in voter registration as well as election monitoring
criticized the &expanded role of the military8 under a
state of emergency. While candidate selection was fair, he
predicted reduced voter turnout as a result of the "fear
factor" associated with the military's involvement in the
process. He announced that the Government of Bangladesh had
endorsed the NGO's idea to create anti-violence task forces
for the national parliamentary elections in December. Each
task force would include leaders of local religious and
social groups who would respond to confrontations on election
day in an attempt to diffuse tensions. He believes
Bangladeshis remain skeptical of military intentions and
accused the military of exceeding its mandate. Note: In
fact, the military's role (deployment to provide additional
security in support of civil authority as needed) has been
the standard for past elections.

Comment
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6. (C) Dupchanchia provides a glimpse of election
preparations in small town Bangladesh. Campaigning appears
to be taking place with minimal restrictions. Dhaka politics
and calls for boycotts do not resonate in Dupchanchia where
the desire to vote is strong. Bangladesh is watching the
August 4 elections as a dry run for the national
parliamentary elections, particularly for the new voter list.

DHAKA 00000812 002 OF 002


In Dupchanchia, you cannot miss the fact that elections are
taking place soon. It is a place where excitement, hope and
great expectations abound in anticipation of August 4.
Pasi