The interim government has launched an extensive review to exclude officials who served in the controversial 2014, 2018, and 2024 parliamentary elections from any role in conducting the next national polls – an initiative aimed at rebuilding public confidence in the country’s electoral process after years of allegations of manipulation and bias.

As part of this effort, the National Election Investigation Commission (NEIC) – formed by the Election Commission (EC) – has begun holding hearings across the country to probe irregularities reported in those three elections.

“The process has started and will continue. As the investigation is ongoing, we are not disclosing anything now. A formal briefing will be held soon,” Dr Abdul Aleem, one of the members of the investigation commission, told the Daily Sun.

The latest round of hearings took place on Saturday at the Chattogram Regional Election Office, where candidates and officials involved in previous polls provided testimony behind closed doors. Journalists were not permitted to attend, and commission members refrained from making detailed public statements.

The process formally began on 30 October this year. The hearings are being conducted by commission members Barrister Tajrian Akram Hossain and Dr Md Abdul Aleem, assisted by Md Faruk Hossain and Md Sayeebur Rahman, both law and research officers of the commission, and Md Abdul Momin Sarkar, deputy secretary of the EC Secretariat.

On Friday, 42 election officials appeared before the panel, with 18 others summoned for questioning on Saturday. Those called include returning officers, assistant returning officers, presiding and assistant presiding officers, and police personnel from various districts.

Earlier sessions were held in Dhaka on 30-31 October and 1 November at the Election Training Institute (ETI) in Agargaon, where returning officers and presiding officials from the capital’s constituencies were grilled over allegations of vote rigging, ballot manipulation, and administrative misconduct.

According to EC sources, the NEIC will analyse all gathered evidence before formulating recommendations to ensure free, fair, and credible elections in future.

The five-member commission was established on 29 July through an EC notification, which also directed the main Election Commission to provide logistical and data support to the investigation.

Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, chair of the Election Reform Commission, told the Daily Sun that while accountability is essential, the process must remain fair.

“Those involved in irregularities must be held accountable, but excluding everyone altogether would not be appropriate,” he said. “Only those against whom there are clear allegations of bias in the election should face necessary action.”

Legacy of politicisation

Behind the government’s latest move lies a decade of controversy. The parliamentary elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024 – all held under the Awami League’s rule – were widely criticised for alleged manipulation, opposition suppression, and politicisation of election officials.

Sources within the EC claim that during ousted fascist prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, crucial election posts were filled through political vetting by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), often in consultation with intelligence agencies.

Several senior EC officials – including a former joint secretary and deputy secretary – confirmed that after the Awami League suffered setbacks in the 2012 city corporation elections, the party leadership centralised control over the appointment of presiding and polling officers.

The move reportedly stemmed from a claim made by the late HT Imam, then adviser on public administration, who told Sheikh Hasina that some election officers had “changed result sheets” to favour opposition candidates.

From then on, the appointment of field-level polling staff allegedly fell under the direct supervision of the PMO, sidelining the EC’s constitutional authority. Insiders say this practice continued until Hasina’s ouster, leaving the current commission struggling to rebuild a politically neutral administrative structure ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, due in late 2025.

Institutional challenges

Officials engaged in the investigation admit that the EC now faces an uphill task: restoring institutional credibility, depoliticising its field-level manpower, and ensuring that future polls are free from the partisan control that long undermined the process.

After its landslide victory in the 2008 general election, the Awami League abolished the caretaker government system through constitutional amendment. Consequently, the 10th, 11th, and 12th parliamentary elections – held in 2014, 2018, and 2024 respectively – all took place under Awami League rule.

Among these, the BNP and most opposition parties boycotted the 2014 and 2018 elections, as their demand for a non-partisan caretaker government was rejected.

Due to the boycott, Awami League candidates were elected uncontested in 153 out of 300 constituencies in 2014, prompting the BNP to label that election “vote-less.”

In 2018, a section of the opposition, including the BNP, contested under the Jatiya Oikya Front banner, but widespread allegations of ballot stuffing and overnight voting emerged. The opposition won only seven seats, and the election became infamously known as the “midnight election.”

The 2024 national election, held without BNP participation, saw Awami League candidates face mostly party rebels and coalition partner Jatiya Party nominees, earning it the nickname “Ami [I] vs Dummy” election.

Despite the controversies, the Awami League retained power for over 15 years until Sheikh Hasina’s government fell on 5 August 2024, following a student-led mass uprising.

Legal and political fallout

In December 2024, the High Court partially annulled the 15th Amendment, effectively paving the way for the return of the caretaker government system. The court observed that the three elections conducted under Awami League rule had “destroyed public trust” as they failed to ensure fairness or neutrality.

The three elections were overseen by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad (2014), KM Nurul Huda (2018), and Kazi Habibul Awal (2024) as Chief Election Commissioners.

In June this year, the BNP filed a case accusing all officials of the Election Commissions involved in those polls – along with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – of conducting elections “without the people’s vote.” Both KM Nurul Huda and Kazi Habibul Awal have since been arrested in connection with the case.

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