Election wasn’t proper; it was controlled as per govt’s will: GM Quader

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader has said the January 7 election was not a proper one; it was a controlled election as per the government's will, according to local media.

None would believe this government and the credibility it had would not be there, he told reporters in Rangpur on Monday afternoon.

Earlier on the election day, GM Quader did not make any reaction to the media after voting.

While speaking to the media, he said on Monday that he would return to Dhaka in two to three days and then would sit with the party leaders to determine the party’s next course of action.

He was also quoted to have said over the phone that there were fair elections somewhere, but somewhere it was not, and where it was not, there was widespread irregularity according to the government's will. The government was predetermined about whom it would let pass the election and whom it would not. That is, it was an election controlled as per the government’s will; it was the same as it had been before.

The Jatiya Party (JaPa), currently the opposition in parliament, had negotiated with the ruling Awami League for 26 seats.

However, the JaPa managed to win only 11 seats, which means its presence in the upcoming parliament will be halved from its current 23 lawmakers.

The JaPa had thrown candidates in a total of 265 seats, but its performance outside the pre-negotiated seats was particularly weak.