Dhaka, February 9, 2025:
The Bangladesh Awami League on Sunday called on its leaders, activists, supporters, and citizens at large to boycott the upcoming February 12 election, describing it as a “fraudulent and deceptive” process that undermines democracy and betrays the nation.
In a press release issued on February 9, the party alleged that the election is being staged by excluding a large segment of the population while being funded by public money, calling it nothing more than a “political drama” devoid of legitimacy. The Awami League said it had “rejected the election with contempt,” arguing that the process cannot be considered free, fair, or credible.
According to the statement, state resources are being misused, while the administration and law enforcement agencies are allegedly being manipulated to serve partisan interests. The party further accused the authorities of repression, voter intimidation, and the systematic denial of citizens’ voting rights, branding the election as one-sided and the product of behind-the-scenes arrangements rather than public consent.
The Awami League claimed that the exclusion of a vast portion of the electorate makes it impossible for the true will of the people to be reflected through the polls. Such a process, it said, amounts to a mockery of democracy and a direct assault on the people’s right to freely choose their representatives.
The statement also noted that the election has already been rejected in various quarters, pointing to low participation among expatriate Bangladeshis and incarcerated voters, most of whom reportedly refrained from voting.
Warning of long-term consequences, the party said that an election lacking transparency and broad public participation would plunge the country into a deeper political crisis. It urged citizens not to take part in what it termed an illegitimate process, arguing that casting a vote would amount to sharing responsibility for future instability.
Calling for peaceful resistance, the Awami League appealed to what it described as “patriotic and conscious citizens” to boycott the election as a form of protest against what it termed the destruction of democracy and the misuse of public funds.
“The protest you register today,” the statement said, “will guide the future of Bangladesh and help steer the nation away from crisis.”
