The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has said that despite some irregularities, the 13th parliamentary election was fair, acceptable and inclusive overall.
TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, addressing a press conference on Monday, highlighted the dominance of the businesses in the country’s electoral process.
Commenting on TIB’s observation report on the 13th national parliamentary election, he said entering politics with the intention of capitalising on profit raises serious moral questions.
“People from any profession can enter politics — there is no problem with that. But when politics is used to expand opportunities for money-making, it becomes problematic,” he said, stressing that the issue deserves consideration from a democratic perspective.
He also questioned how far politics benefits from such practices and whether they are appropriate in a democratic system.
At the press meet, TIB released its report titled ‘The 13th National Parliament Election Process and Affidavit-Based Observation’.
According to the report, nearly 60 per cent of the newly elected members of parliament (MPs) are businessmen by profession. Although the share of businessmen has slightly declined compared to the 12th parliament, they have remained dominant in the legislature since 2008.
Drawing on past experiences, Iftekharuzzaman said the overlap of political and business roles often turns politics into a profit-making tool.
“No one can deny that political identity is used as a means of profiting,” he said, adding that political interference and lobbying influence business policies, structures and public procurement processes.
TIB Senior Research Fellow Mahfuzul Haque and Director (Outreach and Communication) Touhidul Islam presented key observations from the report.
TIB analysed the election process in 70 constituencies.
However, it found that 99 per cent of candidates breached the electoral code of conduct.
Irregularities observed on polling day included casting of fake votes, voter intimidation, favouritism by election officials and obstruction of polling agents from entering polling centres.
Among the winners, businessmen constituted the largest group at 59.9 per cent.
A total of 209 MPs were elected for the first time, with the average age of the new MPs being 59 years. More than 84 per cent hold graduate or higher degrees.
Based on declared assets, 236 elected MPs are millionaires, while 13 are billionaires.
The report also noted that half of the new MPs have liabilities or debts, with total liabilities amounting to Tk 113.56 billion — the highest compared with the previous four parliaments.
By party, 62 per cent of MPs from Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and 16 per cent from Jamaat-e-Islami have reported liabilities.
The report further said campaign spending limits were widely violated both online and offline, individually and jointly. Violations were highest among candidates from the two major parties.
Offline or individual campaign spending exceeded prescribed limits by between 19 per cent and 328 per cent.
Spending overruns were highest among BNP candidates (327.5 per cent), followed by independents (315.2 per cent), Jamaat candidates (159.1 per cent), Jatiya Party candidates (128.6 per cent) and NCP candidates (19 per cent). TIB also highlighted a sharp decline in women’s representation in the new parliament.
Women account for only 2.36 per cent of the 13th parliament — half the level seen in the 2008 ninth parliament and the lowest on record.
https://today.thefinancialexpress.com.bd/first-page/polls-were-largely-fair-acceptable-tib-1771265764