The Bangladesh election outcome is a foregone conclusion

From its turbulent beginning in 1971 to the military rule after the assassination of Mujibur Rahman in 1975, to caretaker governments and political alliances following the restoration of democracy in 1990, Bangladesh's politics has been in a state of churn over the past five decades. With its 12th jatiya sansad elections coming up on January 7, there has been pressure on the country by extra-regional powers like the US, the UK, Japan, and Australia to have free, fair, transparent, participatory and meaningful elections - one that gives viable space to the opposition. The Awami League (AL), led by Prime Minister…