Arrested former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal on Thursday described the 2024 national election as a ‘dummy

Arrested former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal on Thursday described the 2024 national election as a ‘dummy and fabricated exercise’, citing the failure of political parties to reach a consensus ahead of the polls.

The former CEC said this in his confessional statement to the court of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman during a remand hearing on Thursday.

As the court asked him why he had not resigned, Awal tactfully avoided the query saying that no CEC had stepped down in Bangladesh’s history.

Later, the ex-CEC put cited the elections held during Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s regime and irregularities occurred during the 1996 election.

The Dhaka court placed Awal on a three-day remand in a case filed by BNP over alleged irregularities and biased role in conducting the 12th national election. 

A team of DB police arrested Awal from Moghbazar area on Wednesday.

The arrest came two days after BNP filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station accusing 24  people, including former CECs, Election Commissioners and other officials involved in conducting the 10th, 11th and 12th national elections, of irregularities and biased conduct.

Meanwhile, police detained another former CEC KM Nurul Huda from his residence in the capital’s Uttara area on Sunday evening.

In the 11th election, held in December 2018 under CEC KM Nurul Huda, the BNP alleged ballot-stuffing overnight hours before the voting.

The 12th election held in 2024, overseen by CEC Kazi Habibul Awal, was rejected by the BNP as a ‘dummy election’, as the party did not take part in it.

Earlier this month, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus instructed authorities to form a committee to investigate the roles of those involved in conducting the three elections.