A month before the much-awaited elections in Bangladesh, a committee investigating alleged election irregularities has revealed that the elections in 2014, 2018, and 2024 were all rigged, allowing the Awami League Party to stay in power.
On Monday, January 12, the committee, led by Chief Justice Shamim Hasnain, submitted its report to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus about their findings regarding the alleged irregularities in the last three elections in the country under then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
2014 election
The report said the 2014 election was staged and pre-planned to keep the Awami League in power.
Out of 300 seats, 153 were elected uncontested, while the remaining 147 seats were subjected to what was a “so-called contest.”
The 2014 elections were widely criticised as an uncontested election, so in 2018, the Awami League party devised a scheme to make the elections look like a “competitive” one.
2018 election
During the 2018 elections, the committee reported that the ballots at that time were stamped overnight in around 80% of polling centres to ensure that the Awami League would win.
The committee noted that the 2018 elections were marked by “dishonest competition” within the administration to ensure an AL victory, leading to voter turnout exceeding 100% in some polling centres.
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2024 election
In 2024, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and other opposition parties decided not to participate in the election.
To make it look like a “competitive” election, the administration fielded “dummy” candidates.
A well-planned scheme
The committee stated that the 2014, 2018, and 2024 elections were carefully planned at the highest levels of the state, with the administration, police, Election Commission, and intelligence agencies deployed to execute these plans.
The committee disclosed that, during these elections, a special unit made up of select officials – referred to as the “Election Cell” – was established.
From 2014 to 2024, the administration assumed the roles and responsibilities of the Election Commission, effectively becoming the primary authority responsible for conducting the polls.
As Bangladesh seeks to deliver free and fair elections after years of vote rigging under Hasina’s rule, Yunus has emphasised the importance of implementing safeguards to prevent future electoral manipulation.
He said past vote rigging had corrupted and distorted the system, and called on the government to identify and hold those responsible accountable to ensure such abuses never occur again.
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