AL has no record of holding rigged polls: Quader
Ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) general secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday claimed that their party, while in power, has no record of holding any questionable elections.
“The government won’t interfere in Gazipur mayoral polls. The Awami League has no record of holding such elections which are concluded by 10 o’clock in the morning. We’ve no history of holding rigged or questionable elections,” said Quader, also road transport and bridges minister.
The ruling party general secretary was speaking at a media briefing at the party president’s Dhanmondi office on the eve of high-voltage Gazipur civic polls.
Quader made the remarks ostensibly in response to main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) allegation that the AL has set the stage to rig Tuesday’s Gazipur polls.
Dwelling on the Gazipur polls, Quader said no incident of violence took place in the electioneering in Gazipur polls so far. “The election commission is playing its role independently.”
He said the Gazipur polls would be held in a free and fair manner.
“Gazipur polls will be held the way the elections were held in Narayanganj, Cumilla, Rangpur and Khulna city corporations.
The AL leader made the claim of having no record of holding questionable elections at a time when election experts allege that the country’s electoral system has been destroyed with the holding of lopsided controversial 5 January elections in 2014 through which AL retained its power.
Immediate past election commission and present set-up of the election commission have been widely criticised for their inaction when most of the recently-held local government polls were marred by widespread irregularities including ballot stuffing, intimidation and capture of polling stations by the ruling party activists.