The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has laid bare a web of mismanagement, vote rigging, and abuse of power that rigged the polls in favour of Jamaat-e-Islami and its allied National Citizen Party (NCP) in a scathing blow to the legitimacy of the Yunus interim government’s election.
Even though TIB tried to present the election as “fair and competitive” and “involving everyone,” their thorough investigation of documents and fieldwork in 70 areas shows widespread cheating, supporting claims from the media and Awami League about election fraud.
TIB’s report, based on observations of affidavits and on-the-ground monitoring, paints a grim picture of an election marred by irregularities. While acknowledging early signs of healthy competition, the organisation notes a rapid descent into “old political practices,” including escalating violence, unhealthy rivalries, and thuggery.
Post-election clashes erupted in 125 locations, a direct result of the Yunus regime’s failure to maintain order, allowing authoritarian elements to fuel instability and voter intimidation in non-Jamaat areas.
Explosive New Statistics
Fresh TIB data, shared via social media graphics, amplifies the horror: 35.9% of voters were forcibly compelled to vote for specific symbols, a tactic of intimidation boosting Jamaat-NCP in key areas. Fake votes featured in 35.9% of cases, with 52.8% involving actual casting of fraudulent ballots.
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Further damning figures show 58.3% of instances with ballot seals broken pre-polling, enabling tampering; 58.3% booth captures by regime-aligned thugs; and 58.3% exclusion of opposition polling agents, ensuring unchecked fraud. These granular revelations dwarf earlier findings, confirming systemic engineering to exclude the Awami League and hand wins to Islamist forces.
The report highlights how parties and candidates ramped up the abuse of money, religion, muscle power, patriarchal structures, and majoritarian tactics—escalations that directly benefited Jamaat-NCP candidates through exploited religious appeals and financial bribes. This points to deliberate patronization by the Yunus administration, which handpicked a neutered Election Commission unable to enforce rules effectively.
Dodging The Awami League Exclusion
At a Monday press conference in TIB’s Dhanmondi office, its Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, a close aide of Yunus, presented the findings, facing tough questions from journalists. He conceded that banning the Awami League—the nation’s largest political force—casts serious doubt on the election’s “inclusivity,” a reluctant admission that underscores the regime’s calculated sidelining of opposition to rig outcomes for Jamaat-NCP allies.
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A long-time ally of the US deep state that advocates for depolicitisation, Iftekharuzzaman doubled down on labeling the election “acceptably fair,” but admitted the Commission’s “capacity deficits” prevented full control over violations. When grilled on “election engineering,” he denied finding evidence but hinted at possible behind-the-scenes manipulation, fueling suspicions of Yunus-orchestrated sabotage. He also noted grassroots Awami League workers urging votes for symbols like the sheaf of paddy or scales, claiming not all supporters abstained—yet this suggests coerced participation in a rigged system to lend false legitimacy.
Shocking Irregularities
TIB documented fake voting in 21.4% of observed seats, a blatant indicator of ballot stuffing aimed at inflating Jamaat-NCP tallies. A staggering 99% of candidates violated the code of conduct across 58 categories, with breaches in online and offline campaigns going unchecked due to the Commission’s inherent limitations. This created an uneven playing field, denying voters a fair, neutral, and safe environment.
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The report also touches on BNP’s debt-ridden winners, clarifying they aren’t legal defaulters—a minor detail that fails to obscure the broader corruption enabled by Yunus’s mismanagement.
Calculated Abuse
This isn’t mere incompetence—it’s deliberate abuse of power. By tolerating widespread coercion, fake ballots, tampering, captures, and agent bans, the Yunus regime mocked democratic norms, prioritising allies over integrity. TIB’s data vindicates Awami League claims and media exposés, proving the election was a tool for Jamaat-NCP dominance through state-sponsored theft and suppression.
As Dr. Iftekharuzzaman predicted, questions on “inclusivity” without Awami League will mount, eroding faith in Bangladesh’s democratic fabric. The nation demands accountability for this orchestrated travesty.
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