Bangladesh arrests former election chief amid probe into disputed national polls

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Bangladeshi police on Wednesday arrested former Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal, days after his predecessor was detained over alleged election fraud during the tenure of the Sheikh Hasina administration.

Awal, who oversaw the January 2024 national election, was taken into custody by the detective branch in the capital Dhaka, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Jahangir Kabir, told Anadolu.

Kabir said details of the case against Awal will be made public soon. He added that another former chief election commissioner, KM Nurul Huda, was arrested earlier this week as part of the same case, which names 24 individuals, including both ex-election officials.

The arrests follow growing demands for accountability after years of disputed national elections held under the Hasina government. Both Awal and Huda served as chief election commissioners during the 2024 and 2018 parliamentary votes, respectively.

Those elections were widely criticized at home and abroad over allegations of voting irregularities and lack of fair political competition.

Major opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, boycotted the January 2024 vote, calling it a “dummy election.” They accused ruling Awami League members of contesting as independent candidates to create the appearance of broad participation.

The role of election officials has come under renewed scrutiny since a political changeover in August last year that led to the ousting of the Hasina administration following mass protests.

On Sunday, the BNP filed legal complaints against 24 former officials, including three ex-election commissioners and Hasina, accusing them of manipulating national polls since 2014. That night, BNP supporters detained Huda, publicly assaulted him, and handed him over to police.

The BNP also submitted case documents to the current Election Commission, demanding legal action against former officials for allegedly ignoring opposition complaints of election misconduct over the past decade.