Islami Andolan alarmed over fairness over 'uneven’ election playing field

Party flags unequal playing field, nomination cancellations, and security concerns

Islami Andolan Bangladesh has expressed concern that the national election may not be fair, warning of what it described as an uneven playing field for candidates and parties.

Speaking on Tuesday after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, the party’s spokesperson Gazi Ataur Rahman said returning officers had rejected nomination papers on “trivial” grounds that could have been corrected, damaging candidates’ reputations.

“Nomination papers were rejected for minor reasons that could have been rectified, affecting candidates’ public image,” he said.

The Election Commission completed scrutiny of nomination papers on Sunday. Of 2,565 submissions, returning officers declared 1,842 valid and rejected 723.

Ataur, also the party’s senior joint secretary, alleged that some parties were being given special advantages, including what he termed “VIP protocol” for certain leaders, which he said undermined the principle of a level playing field.

“We have concerns about a fair election, but remain hopeful and want a good election,” he added.

He also criticised what he called an excessive focus on former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s death, claiming that schools had displayed posters under the guise of mourning for a month.

Ataur cited cases in which nominations were cancelled over issues such as a pending electricity bill of less than Tk 1,000, or a bank statement that did not include an account opening date.

He said other rejections were linked to clerical mistakes, including missing signatures in “one or two” places on documents containing multiple signatures.

“If there were serious reasons such as loan default, withheld information, or legal cases, cancellations could be justified,” he said.

“But correctable errors, overlooked in the past, were treated strictly this time, putting candidates’ reputations at risk.”

Questioning the commission’s neutrality, he claimed some candidates were given leniency for minor errors while Islami Andolan’s nominees were not.

He also argued that the rejection of more than 28 percent of nomination papers could affect voter perceptions.

On security, Ataur said it was vital to recover illegal weapons ahead of polling day, claiming that around 70 percent of looted arms had so far been recovered, but that many illegal weapons remained in circulation.

He also criticised what he described as a lack of progress on holding a national referendum, warning that without implementing the “July Charter”, the country could slide back towards authoritarianism.

Islami Andolan has fielded candidates in 268 constituencies and that talks on seat-sharing with Jamaat-e-Islami were continuing, Ataur added.