Ballots stuffed in 80% of polling centres night before 2018 polls: Election Investigation Commission

Highlights:

• Elections in 2014, 2018, 2024 manipulated to favour AL
• 153 seats uncontested; 147 seats "orchestrated contests" in 2014
• Ballots pre-sealed in 80% of polling centres in 2018
• Voting exceeded 100% in some centres in 2018
• Opposition boycotted; "dummy" candidates used to create façade of competition in 2024
• Admin, police, EC, and intelligence agencies used to implement rigging
• CA Yunus calls for accountability and reforms to prevent future fraud

The National Election Investigation Commission has found widespread manipulation in Bangladesh's 2018 general elections, estimating that ballots were pre-sealed in nearly 80% of polling centres to ensure then ruling party Awami League's victory.

The commission's report, covering the 2014, 2018, and 2024 elections, also claims that administrative and electoral bodies were used to orchestrate outcomes, with tactics ranging from uncontested constituencies to "dummy" candidates in boycotted polls.

The commission submitted its report to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at the state guesthouse Jamuna today (12 January).

Receiving the report, the chief adviser described the findings as a "shameless distortion of the entire process" and called for urgent measures to prevent future election fraud and protect citizens' voting rights.

"We had heard about vote rigging. We knew some things. But they shamelessly distorted the entire process, twisted the system, and wrote verdicts on paper according to their own wishes. These findings must be presented to the nation. There needs to be a complete record," Yunus said.

He said the entire nation had been punished by spending public money to conduct elections that deprived citizens of their voting rights.

"The people of this country watched helplessly but could do nothing. Those responsible must be identified so that the people can get some relief. We need to know who did it and how," he said.

Photo: CA Press Wing

2014: Orchestrated elections and uncontested seats

The commission's report claims that the 2014 elections, widely criticised internationally, were effectively orchestrated to keep the Awami League in power. Of 300 parliamentary constituencies, 153 were uncontested, while the remaining 147 saw so-called contests that were carefully planned by state authorities.

Referring to the report, the chief adviser's press wing said that during this period, control over the election process shifted from the Election Commission to the administration, which became the dominant force in conducting the polls.

2018: Ballots pre-sealed, votes exceeding 100%

In 2018, the report stated that ballot papers were sealed between 10pm and 3am the night before voting in nearly 80% of polling centres, guaranteeing the then ruling party's victory. 

It also noted instances of voter turnout exceeding 100% in some areas, a result of competition within the administration to secure Awami League wins.

Opposition parties, including the BNP, participated in the elections but failed to anticipate the scale of manipulation, the commission found.

2024: Boycott, dummy candidates, and façade of competition

The commission said that in the 2024 elections, opposition parties, including BNP, boycotted the polls. To create an illusion of competition, authorities fielded "dummy" candidates in selected constituencies.

The report stated that strategies for all three elections were formulated at the highest levels of the state and executed using the administration, police, Election Commission, and intelligence agencies as instruments of the ruling party.

Advisers Asif Nazrul, Adilur Rahman Khan, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, and Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, along with Commission Chairman Justice Shamim Hasnain and members Shamim Al Mamun, Kazi Mahfuzul Haque Supan, Barrister Tazrian Akram Hossain, and Dr Md Abdul Alim, were present during the report submission and discussed various aspects of the investigation.