Probe finds Awami League systematically used state apparatus to entrench power after 2009
Officials who could object under existing laws or pose obstacles to illegal government actions were deliberately denied promotions or key postings, the report notes
The National Election Investigation Commission has found that preparations for what it described as "sham elections" held in 2014, 2018, and 2024 were completed in the five years following 2009, as the Awami League government systematically consolidated control over key state institutions to ensure its prolonged hold on power.
According to the commission's findings, the government filled virtually all institutions, including the army, air force, navy, Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI), police, and civil administration, with party-aligned individuals, while introducing an entirely new promotion system.
The report states that honest, capable, and merit-ranked senior officials in the administration and police were sidelined, while comparatively inefficient and poorly reputed officers lower on the merit list were promoted and appointed to strategically important positions. Although initially unclear, the commission says it gradually became evident that the Awami League was building a permanent power structure to make its rule enduring.
Officials who could object under existing laws or pose obstacles to illegal government actions were deliberately denied promotions or key postings, the report notes. This, the commission observes, directly contradicted the Awami League's commitments made in its 2008 election manifesto.
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The manifesto had pledged, "To establish the rule of law, human rights will be protected. The independence of the judiciary will be ensured, and state institutions and the administration will be kept free from partisan influence. Recruitment and promotion will be based on merit, efficiency, seniority, and integrity, above party identity. Loyalty to the republic will be ensured by stopping the use of the administration for political purposes."
In practice, the commission says, the Awami League carried out the exact opposite over the following 15 years. While honest and meritorious officials were initially encouraged by these promises, their optimism later turned into what the report describes as a "nightmare".
The report further finds that corruption and the acquisition of illegal benefits within the administration were actively encouraged. Officials aligned with the ruling party operated above rules and regulations, prioritising partisan and personal interests. Media reports of their accumulation of vast illegal wealth later emerged.
From 2009 onwards, Sheikh Hasina gradually centralised control over key state functions, bypassing established norms and procedures to create an alternative power structure. Some mid-ranking police officers from her home district reportedly became so powerful that they operated above the law, acting solely as loyal enforcers of her directives.
In this context, the report cites the proverb, "The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack," noting that Sheikh Hasina emerged as the dominant figure within this structure, while its members became mutually dependent sources of power.
However, the commission adds that despite this mutual reliance, discipline within the structure was weak. Alongside suppressing opposition parties, many members also became individually involved in various criminal activities.
