Awami League President and five-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that on Thursday, the nation witnessed a pre-planned election of deception and farce\u2014one that will be recorded as a disgraceful chapter in Bangladesh\u2019s democratic history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was not an election of public will; it was an industrial-scale administrative exercise in manipulating numbers, she said in a statement <\/a>on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The total number of registered voters in this election was 127,711,793. Voting began at 7:30am and continued until 4:30pm. Serious irregularities were observed, both in the conduct of voting and in the turnout percentages, released in stages by the Election Commission (EC), many of which appeared inconsistent and unrealistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the EC\u2019s first briefing, by 11am\u2014the first 3 hours and 30 minutes\u201414.96% of votes had been cast, equivalent to 19,105,684 ballots. That would mean an average of 90,979 votes per minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the next briefing, turnout by 12 noon was announced as 32.88%. That means between 11am and 12 noon alone, 17.92% of votes were cast\u201422,880,350 ballots\u2014an average of roughly 381,339 votes per minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sheikh Hasina: Voting started in a festive mode the night before elections<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sheikh Hasina demands cancellation of election, resignation of Yunus<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This rate is several times higher than the earlier average and is highly abnormal. During the first 3.5 hours, the hourly turnout rate was 4.27%, yet in the following hour, it was shown as 17.92%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If all 32,789 polling centres were operating, this would imply an average of 11.63 votes per minute per centre\u2014one vote every 5.16 seconds\u2014which is practically impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sheikh Hasina said that anyone familiar with Bangladesh\u2019s voting history knows that turnout typically moves fastest in the morning, especially before 11am. Yet only 14.96% turnout was recorded during that period, followed by a sudden leap to 32.88% by noon\u2014an abnormal surge within a single hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the third stage, it was reported that turnout reached 47.91% by 2pm, meaning that between noon and 2pm, it increased by 15.03%, or 19,194,883 votes\u2014about 159,958 votes per minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, by 4:30pm, turnout was declared to be 59.44% on Friday. That means between 2pm. and 4:30pm\u20142 hours and 30 minutes\u2014another 11.53%, or 14,722,770 votes, were added, averaging roughly 98,152 votes per minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to various media reports, casting a vote at some centres took between 1.5 and 3 minutes. Yet the time-based statistics show that turnout increased at an unusually rapid rate between 11am and noon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jamaat\u2019s 77 seats signal continuation of militancy, mob violence under BNP rule<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Midnight Election: Vote stuffing, cash seizures dominate final hours<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The overall vote count presented by the Election Commission does not match the reality reported across the country\u2014empty polling stations, inactive booths, and absent voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among roughly 86,000 prisoners eligible to vote, only about 5,000 did so (around 3%). Among an estimated 15 million expatriate voters, about 500,000 voted (around 7%). In this context, the claim of nearly 60% turnout is not just unrealistic but laughable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n State resources and government machinery were directly used to promote the \u201cYes\u201d vote. The government itself openly assumed responsibility for campaigning in favour of \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the ballot paper, a tick mark beside \u201cYes\u201d and a cross beside \u201cNo\u201d represented a blatant psychological tactic aimed at influencing voters and controlling public opinion. The absence of signatures other than the presiding officer\u2019s on result sheets further indicates a lack of transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although constituency-wise results of the national election were announced over an 18-hour period, constituency-level results of the referendum held the same day were not published. The referendum results were released almost five hours after the national election results. This delay, combined with numerical inconsistencies in participation, has created a clear perception of vote rigging among the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After midnight ballot stumping, many could not cast their votes Thursday<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dismal voter turnout exposes Yunus\u2019 farce amid Awami League\u2019s boycott<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Caught On CCTV Camera: 5 youths seen stuffing ballot box in Mymensingh election<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The delay in publishing referendum results raises a crucial question: Did the Election Commission process the data, or did it adjust the data to fit a predetermined process? This question is now being asked across all sections of Bangladeshi society\u2014and it is both relevant and legitimate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This election did not pave the way for restoring democracy; rather, it has deepened public distrust, skepticism, and political uncertainty. Results declared through a controversial process can never bring stability to a country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the eve of voting, February 11, incidents of violence and clashes occurred in various parts of the country between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami. Reports emerged of weapons recoveries, vote-buying, and arrests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That evening, there were reports of polling centres being seized, ballots being stamped in advance, and other irregularities. In several centres, presiding officers signed result sheets before voting even began. Many voters who went to cast their ballots found that their votes had already been cast. In some places, groups of four or five women were seen stamping ballots together inside private rooms; in others, men were doing so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hundreds of pre-stamped ballots were recovered. Some centres had multiple polling agents representing the same candidate. Attempts were made the previous night to prepare result sheets and collect polling agents\u2019 signatures in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sheikh Hasina demands inclusive election under caretaker government<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Election Affidavit: Even top leaders gave false information on income, wealth<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n