There is no scope for holding election afresh accepting the demand of Jatiya Oikyafront. There is no authenticity over the allegation claimed by them regarding the irregularities. It is untrue. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda said these in response to the questions of newsmen. He said these at a press conference at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital on Monday. The CEC said, there is no barrier to publish the gazette after filing written complaint by anybody. We did not get any complain regarding irregularity. Even we did not see in news media. Nurul Huda said, election was held in free and fair manner. They way people gave their votes results came in accordingly. 80 percent votes were casted in this election. AH  

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep concern as the results turned questionable and controversial following allegation of code of conduct violation including applying force and loss of 19 lives. Besides, the organization has demanded for judicial inquiry over the incident of Representation of People Order (RPO) violation throughout the country including Dhaka known through mass media. TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman upheld this demand in a statement on Monday. He said, we demanded that level playing grounds be created for all stakeholders from the beginning. However, news of attacks, repression and lawsuits intended to harass the candidates and their supporters of a contending alliance as reported by the national and international media is an ominous sign for democracy. Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, such harassment allegedly continued even the night before and day of elections. The most worrying fact is that people might lose their confidence on the system of democracy. He said, the way the Chief Election Commissioner tried to shrug off the allegations regarding the polling agents of an alliance is embarrassing and the concern has deepened whether the commission could effectively carry out its constitutional duty. He also said, the negative incidents like violation of RPO happened even in the capital in the name of lunch time break in the election. The way it was published in the local and international media in the reports that cannot be said as propaganda. Besides, leaving the spot with box fill up with ballot papers before the voting starts, running short of ballot papers before casting votes of many voters, assaulting candidate in the vote center-TIB thinks that these incidents need immediate investigations.     Iftekharuzzaman said, Ensuring justice through a judicial probe of the allegations will be of immense value for the credibility, self-confidence and public trust of a government that is being formed in the wake of an unprecedented outcome of an unprecedented election. AH    

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and her party for landslide victory in the 11th parliamentary election. According to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Indian Prime Minister conveyed his greetings over telephone on Monday. Hasina-led Awami League has won 259 seats in the election held on Sunday. Awami League is now going to form government for the third consecutive term. MHK

Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will brief foreign observers and journalists on the December 30 eleventh parliamentary elections on Monday afternoon. The press conference will be held at 4pm, said Awami League joint general secretary Abdur Rahman. He was talking to reporters at Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi political office in the capital. He, however, did not clarify where the press meet will be held. Abdur Rahman said Sheikh Hasina is on course to take oath as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the fourth time. Awami League has secured absolute majority by winning 259 seats in the parliamentary elections held on Sunday. Jatiya Party (JP) won in 20 constituencies, Independent candidates three, Workers Party (WP) three and Jatiya Samajtanrtik Dal (JSD) and Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh won two seats each. Besides, Bangladesh Tariqat Federation and Jatiya Party (Manju) won one seat each. The opposition alliance, Jatiya Oikyafront, won seven seats, of which BNP won five seats and Gono Forum won two seats. Terming the election farcical, Jatiya Oikyafront top leader Dr Kamal Hossain has rejected polls results citing allegations of vote rigging and demanded the Election Commission to hold fresh polls under a non-partisan interim government.   MHK

Sheikh Hasina, Awami League President and daughter of father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is set to take charge as Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the fourth time. She is going to form a new government after the landslide victory in the eleventh parliamentary elections held on Sunday. As a result, Sheikh Hasina will be the prime minister for the fourth time and for three times consecutively. Hasina will be first fourth time Prime Minister of Bangladesh. On June 23 in 1996, Hasina took office as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the first time. Under her dynamic leadership, Bangladesh Awami League achieved win in the parliamentary elections with a big margin held on June 12 of that year. The 9th parliamentary elections were organized on December 29 in 2008. In the election, Bangladesh Awami League-led grand alliance got absolute majority and on January 6, 2009, Sheikh Hasina took the charge of Prime Minister for the second time. After the Awami League's absolute victory in the general elections held on January 5, 2014, Sheikh Hasina took oath as the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh for the third time on January 12. MHK