Bangladesh elections: Sheikh Hasina labels polls a farce, demands ‘fresh, fair vote’; targets Yunus

NEW DELHI: The Bangladesh Awami League on Sunday rejected the country’s parliamentary election as a “well-planned farce,” claiming that the vote, conducted without the party’s participation, disregarded democratic norms and the Constitution. In a statement posted on its X handle after polling concluded and counting began, the party expressed gratitude to citizens – including mothers, sisters, and minority communities – for rejecting what it called a “voter-less” election.

The Awami League alleged that the farcical polling began on the evening of 11 February with seizure of polling centers, gunfire, distribution of cash, vote-buying, stamping of ballots, and agents signing result sheets without voter participation.By 11 am on 12 February, just three and a half hours into voting, only 14.96% of eligible voters had reportedly participated, according to the Election Commission, while many polling stations, particularly in Dhaka and other major areas, had no voters at all. The party further claimed that in the days leading up to the election, its supporters, voters, and minority communities faced continuous intimidation, arrests, and attacks aimed at forcing compliance. Despite these threats, the Awami League said, voters largely stayed away, leaving polling centers effectively empty. The party also raised concerns about “abnormal increases” in voter numbers in certain constituencies, particularly in the capital, calling the figures suspicious.In response, the Awami League laid out its demands

The party also called for fresh, free, fair, and inclusive elections under a neutral caretaker government to restore citizens’ voting rights.