‘Voterless, illegal, unconstitutional’: Sheikh Hasina calls for ‘cancellation’ of Bangladesh election

The ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, called for the “cancellation of this voterless, illegal, and unconstitutional election" on Thursday (Feb 12). In a statement, Hasina thanked voters for “boycotting and rejecting this election without the Awami League". By 2 in the afternoon, the voter turnout was recorded as less than 50 per cent, as per the Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed.

After the polling ended, Hasina issued the statement and said that the number of voters on the voter list, especially in Dhaka, “has increased abnormally, which is highly questionable and unbelievable".

“Today’s so-called election organised by Yunus, who took power through illegal and unconstitutional means, was essentially a carefully planned farce. Disregarding the people’s voting rights, democratic values, and the spirit of the constitution, a deceptive election was arranged without the Awami League and without voters," she said.

She also said that the elections were marred by violence. “From the evening of February 11, this farce began through the capture of polling centres, gunfire, the widespread use of money to buy votes, stamping ballot papers, and taking agents’ signatures on result sheets. From the morning of February 12, voter turnout in most polling centers across the country was extremely low. Many polling stations in the capital and other parts of the country were completely empty of voters," she further said.