Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has issued the following statement on 30th July, 2018 protesting and condemning the irregularities, severe rigging, fake vote casting, confiscating poll centers and unprecedented biased and one-sided role of the administration in the city corporation elections held in Sylhet, Barisal and Rajshahi on 30th July.
The farcical election in Sylhet, Rajshahi and Barisal cities are really unfortunate and regrettable nation. Awami League, local administrations and the election commission have played a shameless role to secure the victory of the ruling party candidates which is a stigmatic part for the entire nation.
Ahead of the election, the law enforcers carried raid into the houses of the polling agents of the opposition backed candidates. Even the main polling agents of several candidates had been arrested in these arrest drives. Prior to the vote casting began, fake votes had been casted for ruling party’s boat symbols. In some areas, ballots had been provided for councilor candidates but not for the mayoral candidates.
The polling agents of the BNP nominated candidates were not allowed to get into the poll centers. The ruling party cadres captured the centers under the backing of the administration and casted fake votes in favor of the ruling party candidates in broad day light. Three mayoral candidates became compelled to boycott election in Barisal.
In last couple of days, police threatened and intimidated the general voters of Sylhet in many ways. They created a dreadful situation in the election area. News also came up about Sylhet’s three polling centers, where fake votes had been casted in the late night, a day before the election date. At least20 people got bullet reddened in a severe clash in Kazi Jalal Uddin High School in Sylhet. The polling agents of the independent candidate Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer had been forcefully expelled from 30 centers including Kazir Bazar, Mira Bazar Jameya Scholars Home, Nobin Chandra School, Hatim Ali School, Bagbari Dhormokendra, MC College, Lama Bazar and Jalalabad Polling Centers. Police fired bullet from close range against city’s Kotowali Thana Chhatrashibir President Fahad Ahmed at the Bokhtiar Bibi centre. He has become crippled and now fighting against death. 3 cocktails were exploded in Raishor Primary school poll center targeting the candidate of the opposition alliances.
For last couple of days, the law enforcers and the ruling party goons have raided into opposition men’s houses in Rajshahi citiy and warned them to remain far away from the polling center. Polling agents of the opposition candidates were forcefully expelled from various centers. Ballot papers for the mayoral election were not supplied in many centers as well.
Today’s farcical elections are worse than recently held Khulna and Gazipur city elections. The irregularities, severe rigging, fake vote casting, confiscating poll centers have turned these election process into a charade. The way, incumbent Awami League government has seized the voting rights of the people is completely unprecedented. Once again it has been proved that fair, credible and participatory poll is not possible under the current regime and its subservient election commission.
Under the circumstances, I am urging the concerned authorities to renounce today’s farcical city polls in Sylhet, Rajshahi and Barisal and also to arrange fresh election once again in these cities.
