BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said this election has become a mockery.
The BNP leader made the comments to The Daily Star at the Syedpur Airport in Nilphamari when he was returning to Dhaka from Thakurgaon after voting ended today at 4:00pm.
Ruling party men and police worked hand in hand during this election, Fakhrul said.
“This is the death of democracy,” he further added.
Election Commission (EC) Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed today said the 11th parliamentary election held on Sunday will remain as a ‘bright example’ in national life.
“This is a huge event in the history of Bangladesh as the voting to the 11th parliamentary election took place in a very free, fair and peaceful environment under a political government,” he told reporters at the EC Secretariat here on the outcomes of the election.
He said many local and foreign observers have expressed their satisfaction over the voting.
Helal said the Awami League-led Grand Alliance gained a massive victory in this election to run the government for a straight three terms.
He also informed the media that so far the results to some 298 constituencies out of 300 have been announced since the election to three centres at Brahmanbaria-2 has been withheld. “There’ll be re-voting in these three centres.”
In Gaibandha-3 constituency polling was postponed as Dr ATM Fazle Rabbi of BNP-led 20-party alliance candidate died of old-age complications.
The EC Secretary extended gratitude to all the political parties, including Awami League, for taking part in this election amid festivity.
He said the Commission was taking preparations over the last one year to hold the election in a successful way and in this process they prepared voters list, completed delimitation of 300 constituencies, appointed the returning officers and assistant returning officers after announcement of the polls schedule, and held meetings with political parties.
Helal Uddin said about 15 lakh polling officials and members of law enforcement agencies were engaged to help hold the election in a free and fair manner with the participation of some 39 political parties and 1,846 candidates.
This election was a huge event in national life except some sporadic incidents as the EC has stopped polling at 22 centres for sporadic clashes and incidents out of the overall number of around 40,000 centres, he said quoting Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda as saying.
About the EVM use in voting, the EC Secretary said EVMs were used in six constituencies and there were curiosity, interest and anxiety over the use of these machines.
“But, we’ve been able to successfully use the EVMs…we’ll use EVMs in the upcoming elections. We will consider on how to get the results from these EVMs much earlier in the future,” he added.
Helal Uddin said the Commission is yet to calculate the overall percentage of votes casted in this election, adding their next big task will be to publish the gazette notification of the election results.
“Thus it will hand over it to the Speaker of Parliament for taking next steps and proceedings.”
The EC Secretary congratulated the Awami League for gaining the overwhelming victory side by side thanked the other political parties to cooperate with the EC for holding this election successfully.
The BNP has claimed that its allegation of “vote robbery” in the December 30 national election has now been proved to be true with the CEC's comment that the use of EVMs can prevent stuffing of ballot boxes the night before an election.
“The chief election commissioner has said the risk of stuffing ballot boxes the night before the voting will be reduced if EVMs are introduced. The truth about the election has started to emerge,” BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said yesterday.
Speaking at a press conference at the BNP's Nayapaltan central office, he said Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda could not hide the truth for long. “The CEC's slip of tongue has revealed the truth regarding the midnight election. His remark has demonstrated that the election was held at midnight as EVMs were not used.”
Addressing a training workshop of election officials at the city's Nirbachan Bhaban on Friday, the CEC had said the Election Commission was planning to use electronic voting machines to make sure that ballot boxes could not be stuffed on the night before an election.
Since the national election, the BNP and Jatiya Oikyafront have been accusing the Awami League of carrying out “vote robbery” by stuffing ballot boxes on December 29 midnight.
Stating that snatching people's voting rights was tantamount to robbery, Rizvi said the CEC “committed a serious offence by holding a midnight election only to keep the current government in power illegally”.
“Your [CEC] remarks will remain as an important document to people about how a chief election commissioner allowed stuffing ballot boxes at midnight in a national election, depriving people of their voting rights.”
The BNP leader questioned whether the CEC allowed the ruling party to stuff ballot boxes on the night of December 29 to justify the use of EVMs that were procured by spending crores of public money.
Rizvi warned the CEC that he would have to be accountable to people some day for the midnight voting.
He said the CEC was trying to use EVMs in the election as spending crores of taka was involved in it. “No machine is required for ensuring a fair election, as only sincerity and commitment to democracy is enough for it.”
Not only the CEC, but also an election commissioner carelessly talked about the midnight voting as the truth cannot be hidden, the BNP leader added.
Rizvi voiced deep concern as ailing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was yet to be taken to hospital for treatment.
He demanded the government shift her to United Hospital for ensuring her proper treatment.
Most of the lawmakers-elect of the Jatiya Party yesterday said the party should join the Awami League-led new government.
The opinion came at a joint meeting of JP presidium members and MPs-elect at the party chief's Banani office, JP Co-chairman GM Quader told reporters after the meeting.
The party's parliamentary body will decide its role in the 11th parliament.
“Our newly elected MPs will join the parliamentary party meeting tomorrow [today] after taking the oath,” Quader added.
Meanwhile, the oath-taking ceremony of MPs-elect will be held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban today, said a parliament secretariat press release yesterday.
At 11:00am, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury will administer the oath.
At the briefing, Quader said, “The parliamentary party meeting will decide what will be the Jatiya Party's role in parliament, considering the interest of the country and the grand alliance."
He added that they would talk about the issue with the alliance after the meeting.
“We are in the grand alliance and contested the election with the alliance partners with identical goals. So, we'll finalise all the decisions through discussions."
The JP co-chairman, who presided over yesterday's meeting, said they discussed the country's political situation at the joint meeting.
Party Secretary General Moshiur Rahman Ranga said they would take some organisational steps to strengthen the party.
He added that parliamentary party members would sit with the AL-led grand alliance to determine the party's role in parliament.
JP Chairman HM Ershad and Senior Co-chairman Raushan Ershad were not present at the meeting.
On Tuesday, Moshiur said they would decide yesterday whether they would remain as the opposition or part of government in the House.
In another development, the Election Commission yesterday in its official results said the AL bagged 257 seats and the JP 22 seats in Sunday's national election.
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda at a post-election press conference on Monday and EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed at the end of announcement of unofficial results of the polls said the AL won in 259 constituencies and the JP in 20.
EC officials said they made the mistake while preparing the list of all winning candidates hurriedly.
The commission yesterday published a gazette notification of all 298 winning candidates.
According to the official results of the December 30 polls, the AL-led grand alliance bagged 288 seats while the BNP-led Jatiya Oikyafront got seven.
Voting was suspended at three polling stations in Brahmanbaria-2 over violence. Voting in those centres will be held on January 9.
Election in Gaibandha-3 was rescheduled for January 27 after Oikyafront candidate TIM Fazley Rabbi died on December 20.
The parliamentary election of Kishoreganj-1 constituency will be held on February 28.
Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed announced the schedule at a press briefing after a meeting at the Nirbachan Bhaban this evening.
The constituency has been vacant since January 3 as Syed Ashraful Islam, also former public administration minister, passed away at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok.
His death came just four days after he was elected MP in December 30 parliamentary election from Kishoreganj-1.
The EC Secretary also said the election will be considered as the fresh election as newly elected lawmaker from the seat Syed Ashraful Islam died before taking oath.
As per the schedule, the last date for submission of nomination paper has been fixed January 31, while nomination scrutiny on February 3 and last date for nomination withdrawal on February 10.
BNP leaders elected in the 11th parliamentary polls will not take oath as they have already rejected the results, alleging various irregularities including ballot stuffing and ouster of opposition polling agents from voting centres.
The party rather demands a re-election under a non-partisan interim administration, saying it has been proved that a free and fair election is not possible under a partisan government.
The BNP took the decisions in principle at a meeting of its standing committee at the party chairperson's Gulshan office, a day after the polls saw it win five seats while its ally Gonoforum two.
Replying to a query whether the lawmakers-elect from the BNP will take oath, party's General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “We have rejected the polls results. We will also continue our legal battle and action programmes.”
Fakhrul, who secured Bogura-6 constituency, said this election proved that a credible election is not possible under any partisan government.
“The government using state machinery conducted such a farcical election that I think it is the most stigmatised election in the country ever,” he said at a press conference after the standing committee meeting.
He also alleged that most of the new voters were denied their right to vote on Sunday.
In a press statement, Gonoforum chief Dr Kamal Hossain said all the opposition candidates, including those of Jatiya Oikyafront, will submit memorandum to the Election Commission on Thursday demanding fresh polls.
They will also announce their next course of programme on that day.
“Countrymen witnessed and perceived it well how a farcical drama was staged in the name of election on December 30,” read the statement.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Awami League and its loyal Election Commission have shown the world how to destroy the election system of an independent and sovereign country.”
Dr Kamal said though the polls results show the ruling Awami League is the winner, actually 17 crore people of Bangladesh have lost. “Through it our much expected democracy has been buried.”
'MOST BIASED PERSON'
Terming Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda the most biased person, Fakhrul said, “He [Huda] is a partisan person and his activities were questioned .... his view reflects the government's. He represents the government.”
At a post-election press conference yesterday, CEC Huda ruled out the opposition demand for a fresh election scrapping Sunday's parliamentary polls.
Fakhrul came down heavily on the CEC also for his comment that what can he do if BNP's agents do not come to the polling centres.
“This government using the state machinery barred our polling agents from going to polling centres. In my constituency, there were 100 percent presence of our polling agents but they were driven out.”
He said the party is now collecting all the evidence of vote rigging and then “we will move forward after talking with alliance partners”.
Alleging that “election engineering” was planned days ahead of the polls, he said its implementation began on December 29, the day before the election.
“Many now question why we participated in the election even after arrest of and attacks on the opposition leaders and activists,” Fakhrul said.
Explaining his party's position, he said, “We want to say clearly that we are a democratic political party and believe in transfer of power through peaceful election. We participated in the election to have democracy restored.”
Alleging that ruling party activists launched attacks on the opposition men after the election, Fakhrul said, “After the election, houses of opposition leaders and activists were attacked and set on fire.”
He claimed that since the announcement of election schedule, more than 21,000 opposition leaders and activists were arrested.
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