NCP accuses EC officials of bias ahead of election

The National Citizen Party (NCP) today (6 January) warned that democracy is at risk, accusing senior government officials, including intelligence chiefs, of openly favoring a party ahead of the national election.

"We've seen various government officials and chiefs of different intelligence agencies seemingly fix their focus on a single party office and visit it regularly. We believe this is a serious threat to democracy in Bangladesh," said party's spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan.

He made this remark after leading a four-member NCP delegation in a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin at the latter's office in the city's Nirbachan Bhaban in the afternoon.

"We have, with great concern, observed that over the past few days, after the chairperson of a particular party returned to the country—whom we welcomed both personally and on behalf of our party—what followed is a bad sign for Bangladesh's democracy," said Asif Mahmud, also the chief of the NCP election steering committee.

He alleged that practices reminiscent of what he termed "illegal conduct during the period of Awami fascism" are resurfacing.

"We always saw in Bangladesh (in the past) that the administration has a tendency to be biased towards those who are in power, but we will never accept such audacity before the people give their mandate and someone comes to power," he said.

The NCP leader urged both the government and the Election Commission to take swift action against such officials who, he said, have clearly violated government service rules as such conduct has dampened public enthusiasm for exercising voting rights in the upcoming elections.

"We call on the government to take immediate punitive action against those involved and to assure the people that their voting rights still remain intact....You must restore this confidence (among the people)," he said.