Dhaka, Sep 14 (V7N) – Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of Citizens for Good Governance (SHUJAN), has stated that elections will not be deemed "unacceptable" even if the Awami League does not participate. He criticized the ruling party, claiming they have "destroyed" the country's electoral system through manipulated and one-sided elections.

Majumdar, who also chairs the Commission for Electoral System Reforms, made these remarks during a shadow parliament debate competition organized by Debate for Democracy at the FDC Auditorium in Dhaka on Saturday. The event was chaired by Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran.

In his speech, Majumdar argued that those responsible for undermining the election process should be held accountable. He accused various groups, including election officials, law enforcement, and polling officers, of criminal activities in past parliamentary elections, noting a "clear violation" of constitutional principles by the Election Commission (EC) due to political bias.

Majumdar further criticized the EC for failing to provide a level playing field for elections, citing the handling of the BNP's Naya Paltan rally on October 28 as an example of misconduct aimed at excluding the party from the electoral process. He called for the prosecution of individuals involved in election-related crimes.

He also clarified that the current interim government is not a caretaker government, but is instead struggling to manage the country's political situation after 15 to 16 years of instability. While acknowledging the challenges faced by the interim government, he warned that delaying national elections could undermine public trust.

In his remarks, Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran reminded the audience of past election malpractices, including allegations of voting being conducted in the dead of night, inflated voter turnout, and restrictions on journalists at polling stations.

The debate competition concluded with Dhaka International University defeating Jagannath University.

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