The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) report alleging widespread irregularities during the 11th National Election has home with the government and Election Commission, said BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
The report has exposed the blatant vote snatching despite the government’s attempts to bury it, he told the media on Thursday (Jan 17) at the BNP headquarters at Naya Paltan.
The BNP leader alleged that the police headquarters are celebrating the Awami League victory and lashed out asking whether they were being rewarded for aiding the government in illegally putting BNP activists behind bars and not letting them campaign during the polls.
After conducting surveys during voting at 50 among the 300 parliamentary seats across Bangladesh, the TIB found proof of some manner of irregularities in at least 47 of those constituencies, said the report released on Tuesday (Jan 15).
Labelling the Dec 30 general election as ‘controversial’, it said the participating political parties did not have equal opportunities and the vote was marred by irregularities.
Such an election does not augur well for democracy, it added.
The Awami League returned for a third-consecutive term in power after the Dec 30 polls, gaining victory at 259 seats. The Jatiya Oikya Front, the opposition alliance which includes the BNP, won eight seats.
The alliance cited widespread rigging and voter intimidation among other irregularities to reject the results and demanded a fresh election under a neutral polls-time administration.
The EC rejected the demand while the ruling Awami League dismissed the allegations of rigging and intimidation.