BNP salutes voters for 'boycotting' polls

Claiming that their party's call for boycotting the "unilateral" national election was successful, BNP senior leader Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan today congratulated the voters for not going to the polling stations.

Talking to reporters at his Gulshan residence, he also said the people of the country rejected the Awami League government through this voter-less election.

"On behalf of not only BNP but also all the 62 political parties who boycotted this farcical election, I salute the people of Bangladesh for the sole reason that they have never compromised on the question of democracy. They also didn't do this this time as well," the BNP leader said.

Stating that the pictures taken by the media speak, he said thousands of photos have already been there on social media. "You can see pictures of dogs standing, lying down and basking in the sun in front of the polling stations in the absence of voters."

"Most of the polling stations were almost empty of voters. So, our call for the election boycott has succeeded definitely," the BNP leader said.

He said the last part of the election drama arranged by the government was being staged from this morning. "The interesting thing is what we have been saying for the one year that the people of Bangladesh have turned down this government has proved it today before everyone in the country as people boycotted the voting."

The BNP leader said they astonishingly observed that the government has taken democracy to such a level in the last 10 years that hundreds of voting centres were empty during the election. "This is the reality of the farce in the name of Bangladesh's 12th parliament election."

Replying to a question, he said they got overwhelming support from people as they have been carrying out their movement against the government peacefully and democratically. "We'll continue our movement together with the people in a peaceful process."

Dr Moyeen said the Awami League not only deceived the country's people but also cheated their party men with such a farcical election. "The consequences of this election won't be good."

"We do not believe in any fake and bogus election system in the name of democracy. Many people brand this government as an autocratic regime. People also call this regime by different names. I say this government is pretending to be a democracy. Governments that pretend to be democratic are far more dangerous than authoritarian ones," the BNP leader said.

Moyeen feared that the government and the Election Commission would show an inflated figure of voter turnouts as they did in the last two national elections. "But that is not our concern as the people of the country and the entire world witnessed how the voters in Bangladesh turned down the election."

He said even many supporters of the ruling party did not go to the polling stations as they knew the victory of their candidates was certain.

"Awami League voters know that our candidates have passed and won. Why should we waste time by going to the polling stations unnecessarily? Awami League voters did not get any purpose of going to polling stations."