State-level 'innovative planning' orchestrated 2014, 2018, 2024 polls: Inquiry commission
Awami League systematically used state apparatus to entrench power
The investigation commission on the national elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024 has found that the polls were conducted under "innovative planning" at the highest levels, with coordinated use of state apparatus to secure Awami League victories.
According to the report, decisions regarding the design and execution of the three "sham elections" were made at the top of the state, and implementation involved systematic use of civil administration, law enforcement agencies, the Election Commission, and selected parts of the intelligence agencies.
A special coordination unit, widely known as the "election cell," was formed with certain officials to carry out these plans, the report said. It was submitted to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on 12 January.
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The report notes that an "unethical competition" existed within the administration to deliver results in favour of the ruling party, resulting in voter turnout figures exceeding 100% in some centres.
Between 2014 and 2024, the commission found, control over the electoral system gradually shifted from the Election Commission to the administrative machinery. During this period, the administration, rather than the Election Commission, emerged as the primary force in managing elections.
The commission notes that thousands of officials and employees were involved in electoral irregularities across the three elections. Due to the limited time for the investigation, it was not possible to identify every individual by name or determine specific roles.
Use of state apparatus
According to the commission's findings, the government filled virtually all institutions – including the army, air force, navy, DGFI, 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 were sidelined, while comparatively inefficient and poorly reputed officers lower on the merit list were promoted to strategically important positions.
Although initially unclear, the commission said 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 block illegal government actions were deliberately denied promotions or key postings, the report notes. This, the commission observes, directly contradicted the Awami League's commitments in its 2008 election manifesto.
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.
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 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.
Dummy candidate in 2024
The commission said the 2024 national election was marked by a strategic "misinterpretation" of democracy, where "dummy" candidates were fielded to create a facade of competition in the absence of major opposition parties.
With the main opposition sitting out, the administration encouraged or propped up "independent" candidates – many aligned with the ruling party itself – to act as "dummies."
This was done to avoid a repeat of the 2014 scenario, where 153 seats were won uncontested, drawing widespread international criticism of Hasina.
By fielding these dummy candidates, the regime sought to create an illusion of a multi-party contest, even though outcomes were effectively predetermined.
The 2024 "dummy" strategy was the final evolution in a decade-long erosion of voting rights, following the 2014 uncontested seats and the 2018 "midnight voting," where ballots were pre-sealed in 80% of polling centres.
Voter intimidation
The investigation commission also found that voter "intimidation, obstruction, and fear-based suppression" was a defining feature of the three elections. Voters were threatened, blocked from entering polling centres, and discouraged from exercising their rights.
The report included voter intimidation alongside the filing of false and harassment cases against opposition candidates and activists, arrests under non-bailable charges, enforced disappearances, and use of the executive branch to manipulate outcomes.
In many cases, voters were prevented from freely accessing polling centres, while fear was created through administrative and law-enforcement actions.
An analysis of polling-centre-wise results published by the Election Commission found that 213 centres recorded 100% turnout, which the commission described as impossible, while 1,418 centres showed turnout exceeding 96%, calling the figures abnormal.
In all centres with 100% turnout, every vote went to the boat symbol, with no votes for other candidates. In some centres, votes cast exceeded 100% of registered voters.
Regarding the 2014 election, the report said 153 seats were won uncontested, while the remaining 147 seats were staged and pre-planned.
Following international criticism of the 2014 election, the ruling party undertook a mission to make the 2018 election appear "competitive." For 2024, with opposition parties absent, a strategy of fielding dummy candidates was adopted to maintain the appearance of competition.
