District council: AL in absolute authority
Through uncontested wins and polls boycott of major political parties, ruling Awami League established absolute control over the district council elections – the top tier of local government system.
With 21 candidates elected unopposed, the score of AL look bright as 25 of its grassroots leaders came out victorious in the elections that were held sans violence and irregularities today.
READ more: Maiden Zila Parishad Polls Today: Not much enthusiasm, plenty of controversies
The maiden election was held in 61 districts of Bangladesh. Polls in two chairman posts were postponed for a prevailing High Court order. Elections to three hill districts were excluded.
Ruling Awami League-backed candidates suffered defeat in one third chairman posts. Eleven of them were lost to party dissidents – what have been blamed on “vote buying with money”.
The dissident candidates who won the polls also belong to the ruling party – putting the ruling party in absolute control over the district councils, popularly known as the zila parishads.
Also READ: Zila Parishad: First ever polls; AL to win it
In the run-up to the elections, the allegation of chairman and member candidates distributing money and gift items to buy voters were reported in different media. A number of MPs breached the electoral code of conduct by seeking votes for their favourite candidates in different districts.
Besides, main opposition BNP boycotted the election previously. Today, the party said that the zila parishad election goes against the establishment and constitution of Bangladesh.
Parliamentary opposition Jatiya Party also abstained from the polls fearing “it never had the chance to be fair”.
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