Mirza Abbas and his wife Afroza Abbas, heavyweight candidates of BNP, have refused to cast their vote in protest to what they said vote rigging.
Mirza Abbas a candidate from Dhaka-8 and his wife Afroza Abbas is a candidate from Dhaka-9 constituency. They alleged that BNP supporters were barred from casting vote all over the country.
Women’s Degree College voting centre’s Presiding Officer Razib Karmakar confirmed The Daily Star that Mirza Abbas refused to vote.
The first three hours were peaceful, even festive at times as people came in to cast their vote at the polling centres in the Lalmonirhat 3 constituency since early morning.
The presence of female voters was notable, all queuing up in front of polling centres around sadar upazila waiting for their turn.
Polling agents of BNP and Jatiya Party candidates Asadul Habib Dulu and Golam Mohammed Quader respectively were there.
But the scenario started changing radically from 11:00am as Awami League (AL) activists began to arrive. They started calling out to voters, telling them to leave while forcing out BNP agents. No BNP worker or leader returned fearing attacks.
In some centres even police carried out such acts, snatching voter lists from BNP agents.
A correspondent of The Daily Star was present in a polling centre set up inside Lalmonirhat Government High School.
The presiding officer there, Rakibuzzaman, had locked himself inside a classroom after suspending voting around 12:30pm while some 300-400 AL men clamoured inside the school.
A judicial magistrate arrived half an hour later and coaxed him out. A visibly shaken Rakibuzzaman informed that the voting boxes, stamps and ballot papers had been taken away by the AL men. The judicial magistrate then left.
“Voting has been suspended in consultation with the UNO (upazila nirbahi officer) as the situation here was tense,” Rakibuzzaman replied on request for a comment.
On what happened to the voting materials, he abruptly turned around and again locked himself inside the classroom.
By 1:00pm the scenario had turned grim in most of the upazila's 89 polling centres: either voting was suspended or they were occupied by the AL men.
A correspondent of The Daily Star witnessed a local AL leader, Sumon Khan, and his men take over the Khochabari Primary School centre around 11:00am. They forced all others out within half an hour.
Villagers of Kulaghat came rushing to the correspondent during a visit to inform that AL men wielding sticks had chased them away from a voting centre in the local high school. They said normalcy returned when the army arrived.
Villagers of Shakoa staged agitations on a road after police created panic by chasing away voters, some even to their doorsteps, from the Shakoa Taj Mahmud High School centre.
BNP's Rajpur union publication secretary, Tojammel Haque, 62, died in Rangpur Medical College Hospital around 2:00pm on suffering injuries during a clash between AL and BNP men at Paglarhat Government Primary School in the initial hours.
Voting at the centre was suspended for some time.
Strongly denouncing the election-day violence in Bangladesh, Western powers have said there are “credible” reports that polls irregularities marred the voting on December 30.
Diplomatic sources said the strongly-worded statements from the USA, the UK, and the European Union was indicative that they might mount pressure on the Bangladesh authorities for transparent examinations into the alleged irregularities, violent incidents, intimidation and harassment that created obstacles for the opposition candidates to campaign freely.
The UN also echoed the concerns, saying that it was aware of violent incidents and reports of irregularities in the Bangladesh general elections.
“We encourage the parties to address electoral complaints in a peaceful manner and through legal means,” the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general said in a statement on Monday.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller and UN Resident Coordinator Mia Seppo separately met with Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque yesterday and discussed issues raised in the US and UN statements on the Bangladesh polls.
According to diplomatic sources, the US ambassador at the meeting mentioned about a resolution adopted unanimously by the US House of Representatives on December 12.
The resolution (H. Res. 1169) titled “Reaffirming the commitment of the United States to promote free, fair, transparent and credible elections in Bangladesh” had called on the Bangladesh government to respect the freedom of speech and of the press and to heed the Bangladesh Election Commission's request to ensure security for minorities and maintain communal harmony for a peaceful election.
It had also urged the Bangladesh political leaders and judicial authorities to respect the will of voters and ensure that all Bangladeshis would be able to participate freely in the elections, and that the polls would be impartial and inclusive.
Conveying the message of their respective authorities to the foreign secretary, the US and UN envoys said Bangladesh should ensure addressing the claims and allegations of irregularities, said diplomatic sources.
Issues of cooperation and future engagement between Bangladesh and the US and the UN also came up for discussion at the meetings.
Meanwhile, Canada in a statement yesterday said it was disappointed by credible claims of irregularities exhibited during the campaign.
“While welcoming the increased participation of opposition parties in this election, Canada remains disappointed by credible claims of irregularities exhibited during the campaign and calls on the relevant authorities to work transparently with all parties to address these claims,” said Global Affairs Canada.
It called upon all concerned to proceed in a peaceful and lawful manner and to ensure that the rights to freedom of expression and assembly are protected in the transition period leading up to the installation of a new government.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mark Field, British minister of state for Asia and the Pacific at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in a statement said, “I am aware of credible accounts of obstacles, including arrests, that constrained or prevented campaigning by opposition parties, and of irregularities in the conduct of elections on polling day that prevented some people from voting.
He called for a full, credible and transparent resolution of all complaints related to the conduct of the elections.
“I deplore the acts of intimidation and unlawful violence that have taken place during the campaign period, and am deeply concerned by the incidents that led to so many deaths on the polling day. My thoughts are with the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones,” he added.
Free, fair, peaceful, and participatory elections were essential to any functioning democracy, said the British minister of state.
“It is vital for the government and all political parties to now work together to address differences and find a way forward in line with the interests of the people of Bangladesh.”
He said the UK would continue to support the people of Bangladesh in their aspirations for a more stable, prosperous, and democratic future.
In another statement on Tuesday, EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Maja Kocijancic said, “Violence has marred the election day, and significant obstacles to a level playing field remained in place throughout the process and have tainted the electoral campaign and the vote.”
He said the relevant authorities should now ensure a proper examination of allegations of irregularities and commit to full transparency in their resolution.
The USA in a press statement said, “We note with concern credible reports of harassment, intimidation, and violence in the pre-election period that made it difficult for many opposition candidates and their supporters to meet, hold rallies, and campaign freely,”
“We are also concerned that election-day irregularities prevented some people from voting, which undermined faith in the electoral process,” Robert Palladino, deputy spokesperson at the US state department said on Tuesday.
A team of foreign election observers said they witnessed calm and peaceful election at different polling centres in the capital yesterday.
“We have visited a number of polling stations… and as far as the perception goes there was calm, serene and ambiance in the polling stations,” said Aariz Aftab, chief electoral officer of West Bengal.
Talking to reporters at the end of voting, he said, “....a lot of gaiety was visible. Whatever we've perceived I think it was very meticulous planning and meticulous organisation by the Bangladesh Election Commission.
“We hope that through this visit the relationship between the EC of India and EC of Bangladesh will be strengthened... this is to carry forward good and cordial relationship between the election commissions of the two countries,” Aariz Aftab added.
The observer team includes five persons from Canada, India and Nepal; of them, three were from Indian election commission. Besides, three local observers visited polling centres.
“Everyone is getting access to their polling station and is able to cast their ballot and all of the officers and officials are doing a great job in maintaining order,” said Tania Dawn Foster, an observer from Canada.
Tania Foster said she visited five centres and a number of polling booths. “Everything that I have observed to this point has demonstrated that the voters are feeling empowered and enthusiastic about being able to come and vote,” she said, reports BSS.
She said the election has been “really orderly” that the voters are “feeling empowered and enthusiastic about being able to come and vote”.
Another Indian observer, Gautom Ghosh, said, “Voting going on very spontaneously. There is complete peace and I feel everything is good till now.”
Later, during a briefing at Sonargaon Hotel, Prime Minister's International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi told foreign observers that 18 people were killed in violence during the parliamentary election.
Of the victims, 12 were from the Awami League, three from BNP, one from Chhatra Sena, one ansar member and one bystander, he said.
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda yesterday rejected the Transparency International Bangladesh report on irregularities in the 11th parliamentary polls, terming the report “baseless”.
Besides the CEC, two ministers criticised the report.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, called the TIB report a “fairy tale”.
Information Minister Hasan Mahmud said the TIB report was a “deliberate falsehood” and it echoed the speech of opposition alliance -- Jatiya Oikyafront -- regarding the December 30 polls.
On Tuesday, the TIB in its study titled “Review of Election Process of 11th National Election” said irregularities took place in 47 out of the 50 constituencies it surveyed.
It termed the polls “partially participatory, non-competitive, questionable and faulty" and demanded a judicial inquiry into the reported irregularities.
The anti-graft watchdog said ballot papers stamping took place the night before the election in 33 constituencies, stamping ballots openly after occupying booths in 30 seats on the election day and non-availability of ballot papers in 22 constituencies.
The TIB study found ballot boxes filled-up before polling even began in 20 constituencies; voters forced to cast ballots for a particular symbol in 26 constituencies, casting of fake votes in 41 seats, silence of the administration and law enforcing agencies in 42 seats and obstructing and driving out polling agents in 29 seats.
In the 50 constituencies, not all the polling centres necessarily saw the anomalies. Irregularities happened in one or more centres of a seat, the watchdog said.
“We are completely rejecting the TIB report on the election. It is baseless,” the CEC told reporters after an orientation programme of the newly appointed Election Commission officials at the Nirbachon Bhaban in the capital yesterday.
The CEC said there was no similarity of the TIB report with those published in newspapers and accounts of other observers on the voting day.
Information provided by the election enquiry committees, executive magistrates and EC officials and others on the polls also do not match the TIB findings, he said.
The CEC also slammed the TIB's allegation that the EC failed to act neutrally and the role of some polling officers and law enforcement agencies were biased, saying, “The speech is disrespectful ... They should not speak like that.”
He said the commission would not take any step against TIB over its report.
“The TIB has come up with the fairy tale long after the election,” Quader told journalists after an extended meeting of Dhaka South City unit Jubo League at AL's central office on the Bangabandhu Avenue.
“The TIB has cooked up so many imaginary and unbelievable stories. The countrymen will give a reply to the report.”
He termed the December 30 election transparent and excellent.
“Did any agent of BNP and Oikyafront candidates make any objection about the transparency of the election on the voting day?” Quader questioned.
In another development, Information Minister Hasan Mahmud said, “There is no difference between the TIB report and the speech of the Oikyafront. In fact, the TIB just published a report in favour of BNP and Jamaat-Shibir.”
He was addressing a press conference in his Dewanji Pukur Par lane house in the port city yesterday, reports a staff correspondent in Chattogram.
The minister added that though the TIB usually claimed that its reports were based on research findings. But in fact, no proper research was actually done.
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.
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