Hasina slams Bangladesh elections as ‘well-planned farce’, demands 'free, fair and inclusive' polls

Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday called the general elections being held by the interim government ''a well-planned farce'' and demanded holding of ''free, fair and inclusive elections under a neutral caretaker government''. For the first time in 30 years, the boat, the Awami League's electoral symbol, did not appear on the ballot paper in the election, the first since the ouster of Hasina in massive nationwide protests in August 2024. Hasina, 78, who has been staying in India after she fled Bangladesh, said the elections being held under the interim government of Muhammad Yunus was essentially ''a well-planned farce''. ''The people's voting rights, democratic values, and the spirit of the Constitution were completely disregarded in this deceptive, voterless election conducted without the Awami League,'' she wrote on her party's social media. ''From the evening of 11 February, this farce began with seizure of polling centres, gunfire, vote-buying, distribution of money, stamping of ballots, and agents signing result sheets,'' she alleged. Hasina claimed that by the morning of February 12, ''voter turnout was negligible in most polling centres nationwide, and in many centres across the capital and other areas, there were no voters at all''. ''According to the Election Commission's briefing, by 11 am - just three and a half hours into voting - only 14.96 per cent of eligible voters had participated,'' she said. This extremely low turnout clearly shows that the Awami League–free election was widely rejected by the people, Hasina said. Hasina said in the preceding days, ''continuous attacks, arrests, intimidation, and fear were inflicted on Awami League voters, supporters, well-wishers, and minority communities''. ''Even so, despite all threats and harassment, people rejected this fraudulent election, leaving most polling centres effectively empty,'' she claimed. The former premier also alleged that ''abnormal increases in voter numbers were observed in voter lists, especially in Dhaka city, which raises serious questions and is highly suspicious''. The Awami League demanded the cancellation of this ''voter-less, illegal, and unconstitutional election''. The party called for the resignation of Yunus and demanded the release of all ''political prisoners, including teachers, journalists, and intellectuals, and withdrawal of all false cases''. The party also demanded the revocation of the suspension on Awami League activities. It called for holding of ''free, fair, and inclusive elections under a neutral caretaker government''. Following the July 2024 mass uprising that led to the removal of the Awami League from power, the interim government imposed a ban on all activities of the party on May 12 last year. Soon afterwards, the Election Commission suspended the party's registration. The government has said the ban will remain in place until trials at the International Crimes Tribunal are completed. As a result, the party, which governed Bangladesh for more than two decades across six separate terms, has been barred from contesting the election.