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Published : 12 Jan 2026, 10:59 PM
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has said the entire electoral system was “crushed and twisted” to produce “paper verdicts” in the last three parliamentary elections, punishing the whole nation in the process.
Yunus made the remarks on Monday as the Inquiry Commission on National Elections submitted its report on corruption, irregularities and criminal acts in the last three polls.
“We had heard of vote-rigging and knew bits of it. But the way the entire process was so shamelessly distorted, the system crushed and a verdict written on paper to suit them, all of this must be laid bare before the nation. The full record has to be preserved,” Yunus said.
He added that elections held with public money ended up punishing the people.
“The country’s money was spent to stage elections, and the entire nation was punished. People watched helplessly, unable to do anything.
“To give them even a little relief, the faces of those involved must be exposed -- who did it and how. We must ensure vote-rigging never happens again.”
The interim government-commissioned committee handed over the report on Monday afternoon at the State Guest House Jamuna, according to a statement from the Chief Advisor’s Office.
After the submission, the commission discussed different aspects of its findings.
The report says the 2014 election was “staged and meticulously planned”, with 153 seats filled unopposed and the remaining 147 held in name only.
It says the arrangement was made at the “highest level of the state” to keep the Awami League in power.
Because the 2014 poll drew global criticism, the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League planned to present the 2018 election as “competitive”, luring the BNP and other opposition parties to participate.
The commission estimates that in about 80 percent of centres, ballots were “stamped overnight” to ensure an Awami League victory, with some centres reporting turnout above 100 percent due to internal collusion within the administration.
For the 2024 election, when opposition parties boycotted the vote, “dummy” candidates were used to create a false impression of competition, the commission said.
It said all three elections were planned at the highest level, with sections of the administration, police, Election Commission and intelligence agencies used through a special “Election Cell”.
It added, from 2014 to 2024, control of elections was steadily shifted from the Election Commission to the administration. The report also includes a set of recommendations.
