Bangladesh strongly rejects statement by six int’l CSOs

The government of Bangladesh has strongly rejected a biased and unjustified statement issued by six international civil society organizations regarding the recently held elections. The allegations raised in the statement are false and baseless.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested it though issuing a statement on Saturday.

The 12th national parliament election of Bangladesh was held on January 7 in a very free, fair, transparent, festive atmosphere and with the large participation of the people, the government’s statement claimed.

A total of 1,534 candidates from 28 registered political parties and 436 independent candidates contested the elections, it said.

The voter turnout was as high as 70 percent in many rural constituencies. The national average turnout was 41.8 and i.e. about 42 per cent because of comparatively lower voter turnout in the city areas.

The independent Election Commission conducted the elections very effectively and efficiently.

Despite challenges due to the unleashing of violence by the BNP, the polling day was overall peaceful, marked by only a few isolated incidents at a few polling centers. Many international election observers and journalists, who actively reported on the elections from the field, attested to this truth.

The members of the law enforcing agency responded to the incidents of violence under the country’s law. There were no arrests on political ground.  Those who hurled petrol bombs on people and vehicles, set people on fire, killed and injured people and disrupted public life to subvert the elections were arrested under specific allegations.

The joint statement is misleading, one-sided and unacceptable. It has been issued with an ulterior motive to encourage anti-democratic and anti-election forces that made their ill attempts to thwart the elections, it also said.