EC leniency on defaulters, dual citizens ‘shameful’: Badiul

Election Commission leniency in allowing loan defaulters and dual citizens to contest elections is “shameful”, Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar has said.

Speaking at a press conference titled “The Role of Stakeholders in Ensuring a Fair Election” at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Saturday, Badiul said money was increasingly dominating the electoral process.

“Money is running the election,” he said. “SHUJAN had recommended forming election expenditure monitoring committees for one or more constituencies to prevent irregularities and control campaign spending. But that proposal was ignored, leaving the old system intact.”

He also urged the Election Commission to act firmly to stop the spread of misinformation during the polls.

Referring to SHUJAN’s initiative to organise voter–candidate face-to-face programmes, Badiul said some political parties and candidates were imposing conditions, refusing to share platforms with rivals.

“This is undesirable. All political parties and candidates should participate in the election by following the norms of peaceful coexistence,” he said.

He also warned that incidents such as throwing eggs and dirty water at candidates must be stopped immediately.

“We are seeing eggs and filthy water being thrown at some candidates. Strong action from the Election Commission and the government is needed. If these are not stopped promptly, the situation could spiral out of control,” he said.

At the press conference, SHUJAN chief coordinator Dilip Kumar Sarkar presented the keynote paper.

He said allegations had emerged that the Election Commission was relaxing rules to allow loan defaulters and dual citizens to contest the polls, while numerous parties and candidates had already been accused of violating the electoral code of conduct.

“These developments are undermining the environment for a fair election, which the public does not expect,” he said.

Dilip also criticised political parties for nominating too few women candidates, saying they had failed to uphold commitments made under the July National Charter and had instead prioritised patriarchal attitudes.

According to the keynote paper, only 76 women are contesting as final candidates in the election, accounting for just 3.38 percent of the total.

A total of 80 candidates are from religious and ethnic minority communities, with the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) fielding the highest number at 17.

“The data clearly shows that political parties have failed to honour their commitments under the July National Charter,” Dilip said, calling the trend “disappointing”.