There will be many more things to sort out in the future, but the one that can and will unite every un-corrupted Bangladeshi is this principle: that a democratic nation must have free and fair elections. That’s what we want. And as with any democratic election, the only case of being excluded from a democratic election is if the party is provably against the principles of democracy itself, and its foundation of free and fair elections.

It’s important that we are intentional in the definition of free and fair. This is one of the responsibilities of the committee. Here are some components of a proposed definition of free and fair:

1. The election must be absent of violence or intimidation. In the event of documented violence and/or intimidation in any parliamentary district, that district will be “reset” to a certain timeline, perhaps 21 days. Resets can happen an unlimited number of times. The intention is to ensure that either one of two things happens: that the district has a free and fair election, or that the citizens of the district get so fed up with the presence of violence that they self-enforce peace, and likely overthrow their local enactors of political violence.

2. The election must be non-partisan, with individuals on the ballot, not parties. This is crucial as virtually all major parties in Bangladesh have become undemocratic.

3. All individuals who have participated in or professed anti-democratic values are to be barred for at least this election, and likely several more elections. These accusations must be verified by a court of law.

4. International observers from democratic countries must be directly involved and given free reign and full access in their inspection of voting procedures. The election shall not be considered legitimate unless at least 90% of international observers are satisfied.

5. The election will go on as long as is needed. This could even take years. Parliament will have to function with only the members of the districts that have held free and fair elections.

These proposals are meant to be a starting point. To influence this conversation, join the committee.