"The government of Bangladesh is working against itself", said Michael Kugelman, Director of the South Asia Institute at the US-based Wilson Center, after the 12th parliamentary elections. Supporting his statement, Zillur Rahman, the Executive Director of the Center for Governance Studies (CGS) and the director and host of the popular talk show Tritiyo Matra, stated that the election that took place was not an election but a farce. This has pushed Bangladesh to the brink of an abyss.

On January 13 of this year, he expressed on his Facebook page, "But I believe that Bangladesh was born with the aspiration and promise of independence; Bangladesh cannot deviate from it. Hundred million Bangladeshis want democracy."

He further emphasised that the economy has a close relationship with democracy and is directly connected with social development. Democracy, he added, is intertwined with self-esteem.

Furthermore, in the global village that Bangladesh now exists in, a relationship has been established with external powers. Zillur Rahman highlighted that as Bangladesh progresses on its current path, those powers may not continue their help and support.

He stated that those who have supported this undemocratic process from within the country will gradually face various pressures and be in jeopardy. Their connections with the outside world will be severed.

Zillur Rahman pointed out that individuals within the media, administration, law enforcement, other forces, agencies, political factions, and the business community who have worked against the country's people's democratic aspirations may believe they have secured their interests. However, he expressed certainty that they would soon face consequences. Rahman commented that it would be difficult for them to savour the fruits of their present achievements.

He further mentioned that as a result of this election, many leaders and activists of the opposition party have either fled, perished, or are now incarcerated. Numerous families have been suffering. The overarching goal seems to be maintaining power at any cost.

The rulers have presented an absolute victory to the people, even alienating their allies. Zillur Rahman commented that there is doubt whether this election could have occurred till January 7 without the support from these allies.

He remarked, "Many people are happy with it, and so am I. But the reality is, those allies now say they were duped." In the elections, 28 parties participated, yet representatives of only five parties managed to enter the parliament. Of them, 280 are from the Awami League, and 11 are from the Jatiya Party; they are also the Awami League since the boat symbol was removed from the contest. Additionally, the Kalyan Party – all were Awami League’s candidates. In essence, they are all part of the same.

He questioned and stated, "Awami League is not expected to do this. Awami League has fought extensively for democracy, orchestrating 173 consecutive days of strikes and blockades in the past. This same Awami League also engaged in the past the same activities the opposition parties are now being criticised for. It had engaged in arson as well."

He continued, "Many may argue that Awami League hijacked democracy in 1975, but Awami League was also able distance itself from those actions. People believed that the Awami League would not repeat those mistakes."

Highlighting the current situation, Zillur Rahman said, "Some people want to liken it to Cambodia, while others want to compare it to North Korea. We feel very uncomfortable hearing about such comparisons." He emphasised that Awami League leaders and workers do not appreciate hearing such analogies.

Rahman asserted, "I can say with credibility that the countries which supported this election, especially India, criticism is directed to them. They bear responsibility for the entire situation. They will come to understand the implications; some may already be realising it, though they might not express it for various reasons. It didn't turn out in their favour either."

"I don't believe that the candidates India wanted to win have actually won. The victory seems to be based more on decisions than vote, raising significant questions about the legitimacy of the votes. Even though the Election Commission reported counting 41 per cent of the votes. This implies that 60 per cent of the people's votes were not cast at all. Furthermore, nobody actually believes in the reported 41 per cent vote count," commented Zillur Rahman.

He continued, "It resembles a Chinese model of democracy. In China, the Chinese Communist Party presents 2 or 3 candidates, and there are 7 to 8 other parties blessed by the Communist Party. The Communist Party dictates how much they can express and how much they cannot. Bangladesh has been pushed into such a situation, reminiscent of the Chinese and North Korean models."

Regarding the lack of opposition and civil society voices, Rahman remarked, "Many argue it's becoming a North Korea model. In North Korea, ordinary people can't freely express their opinions on the streets. Similar situations exist in Cambodia. Is Bangladesh heading in that direction? Many fear that it has already taken that path."