Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) today termed the 12th parliamentary election as a one-sided one that was staged to appear competitive, and said it was an "ominous sign" for the country's democracy and the future of elections.

At a press conference in its office, TIB unveiled the primary findings of their study on the January 7 polls. They conducted the study in 50 out of 300 constituencies.

In this election, 100 percent of the Awami League candidates have violated the electoral code of conduct at least once, said TIB, an international anti-corruption institution.

Candidates of other parties as well as independent candidates were not far behind in this regard, it said.

Ninety-eight percent of the candidates spent more than the maximum expenditure limit of Tk 25 lakh in the election, found TIB.

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said, "The one-sided election was successfully held as a strategy to stay in power. The legitimacy of the election may not be challenged, but this success will forever be questioned by the standards of political integrity, democracy and morality.

"The precondition for ensuring a free, participatory, neutral and equal field of competition were not fulfilled in the 12th parliamentary election," he said.

According to TIB research, candidates had spent an average of Tk 1,56,83,777 in the election, which is more than six times the expenditure limit.

The ruling Awami League won 223 out of 298 declared seats in the January 7 polls.