Bangladesh’s BNP pulls out of polls

Main opposition party says election rigged by activists of ruling Awami League

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of exprime minister Khaleda Zia yesterday withdrew from crucial mayoral elections in Chittagong — the country’s second-largest city.

The main opposition party said the polls were being rigged by ruling Awami League activists as voting was underway.

“I am announcing that we are withdrawing from the polls, we are rejecting the elections as it appeared farcical,” senior BNP leader Moudud Ahmad told a news briefing.

He was accompanied by BNP mayoral candidate for North Dhaka City Corporation Tabith Awwal and Afroza Abbas, wife of Mirza Abbas, their imprisoned candidate in South Dhaka City Corporation.

Ahmad said most of their polling agents were removed from polling centres while the voters were being allowed to cast ballots only after confirming their affiliation for the ruling party.

“We took part in the election with the hope that the election will be free and fair. But the government has made the election meaningless,” the BNP committee member said.

The BNP withdrawal came an hour after their candidate in Chittagong and incumbent mayor of the port city, Manjur Alam announced that he was boycotting the election as it was being manipulated.

“My polling agents have been ousted from different centres and I have no wish to take part in election anymore. I’m quitting politics forever,” he told a press conference in Chittagong as polling was underway. Alam, who is in his mid 70s, said from now he would concentrate in social services alone.

Addressing the press briefing, BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmoud Chowdhury alleged that rigging was so rife that “we don’t need to wait to see the results.”

❝ The BNP did it as they are looking for a new issue to affect the ongoing peaceful situation in the country and they don’t want peace...” Mahbubul Alam Hanif | General secretary, Awami League

Agents thrown out

The BNP move came as media reports said ruling Awami League activists threw out agents of opposition candidates, prompting the election commission to postpone polling at several centres.

The Awami League said the BNP decision was part of a “pre-planned” drama with its joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif saying they “boycotted the polls as they understood that they are going to lose the race”.

“The BNP did it as they are looking for a new issue to affect the ongoing peaceful situation in the country and they don’t want peace,” Hanif said.

Bangladesh’s troubled politics, which saw massive violence earlier this year, had taken a turn as the BNP last month decided to return to politics of the ballot as their nearly three months of violent anti-government campaign gradually subsided.