IU professor to observe Bangladesh elections

While election coverage in the U.S. has dwindled, one IU professor is preparing to head to Bangladesh for another round of voting.

Director of the India Studies Institute, Sumit Ganguly, will officially observe national legislative and executive elections in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

Ganguly, a professor in the department of political science, will spend a week as part of a mission from the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, which is chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

A native of the neighboring Indian state of West Bengal, Ganguly will be one of 36 experts examining the elections, which have been postponed since 2007. With almost 150 million citizens, Bangladesh is one of the most populated Muslim nations.

“There’s a great deal of anticipation about these elections,” Ganguly said.
University Communications spokesman George Vlahakis said the trip will benefit the University as well as Ganguly, who has studied and written extensively about Bangladesh.

“Obviously, Professor Ganguly’s experience will enhance his already fair knowledge of the region,” Vlahakis said. “It should benefit his students in providing them with the on-the-ground perspective on one of the world’s largest countries in the Muslim world.”

While citizens are eagerly awaiting the Dec. 29 elections, some fear attacks will be made on both voters and candidates.

“There’s always some anxiety about the fairness of the elections, which is why there’s an election observation mission in the first place,” Ganguly said. “It’s reasonable to expect the elections to go off with a minimal amount of disruption.”

Electoral disturbances include physical violence, ballot stuffing and threats made to candidates. While Ganguly said he does not expect major problems or distractions during the elections, he said it is a common problem in Bangladesh.

“It’s hardly anything new or especially new or particularly unique to this election,” Ganguly said. “There’s always a lurking possibility of electoral violence.”

Ganguly said the success of democratic elections, which occur every five years, would influence other South Asian countries.

“It would mean that Bangladesh is making significant progress to democracy ... and hope to millions of people,” Ganguly said. “It is hardly trivial.”

Vlahakis said this is one of the first trips an IU professor has made as an official observer. But Vlahakis cited current Secretary of Defense and former Hoosier Robert Gates as an example of IU’s dedication to world issues.

“The University has an extensive history of preparing many people for careers in diplomatic service,” Vlahakis said.

Patrick O’Meara, IU vice president for international affairs, also expressed his faith in Ganguly.

“Professor Ganguly is a prominent scholar with a national and international reputation,” O’Meara said. “I’m confident that he will do an outstanding job monitoring the elections.”