Jamaat-e-Islami chief warns his party will act on serious vote-rigging allegations as Bangladesh holds its first post-Hasina election
DHAKA: The chief of Bangladesh’s Islamist-led coalition has warned his influential party will contest any allegations of vote rigging in the country’s hard-fought elections.
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman issued the warning after casting his ballot in Dhaka on Thursday.
“If any allegations are serious, we will not spare anyone — we will do whatever is required,” Rahman told reporters.
He urged all citizens to exercise their democratic rights and participate in building the country.
The elections are the first since a student-led uprising ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, ending her 15-year autocratic rule.
Jamaat has mounted a disciplined grassroots campaign for the vote.
If victorious, its leader Rahman could head the first Islamist-led government in constitutionally secular Bangladesh.
Opinion polls vary widely, but most give the lead to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of Tarique Rahman.
Some polls suggest the race is on a knife-edge.
The National Citizen Party (NCP), allied with Jamaat, issued similar demands for a fair vote.
NCP chief Nahid Islam said his party would accept the people’s mandate whatever the outcome.
“The election must be free and fair,” Islam said after voting in Dhaka.
He stated the first priority should be ensuring a conducive environment for voters to cast their ballots freely. – AFP
