Bangladesh’s Election Commission has announced plans to investigate irregularities in all previous national elections, including the controversial polls of 2014, 2018 and 2024 held during the rule of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, reported the Dhaka Tribune on Saturday.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin directed the country’s 10 regional election officers to identify causes of electoral decline and submit detailed reports. Written instructions were issued asking officials to propose poll reforms to the Election Commission secretariat.

The announcement came three days after Uddin said that the Awami League could participate in elections unless prohibited by the Bangladeshi government or by the country’s courts.

Bangladesh’s national elections of 2014, 2018 and 2024 are widely regarded as contentious, reported the Dhaka Tribune.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia boycotted the 2014 election, resulting in uncontested voting and the unopposed election of 153 candidates.

The 2018 election faced allegations of rigging and was dubbed the “midnight election” due to claims of ballot-stuffing before voting began. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies won just seven seats that year.

The January 2024 election also faced criticism for allegedly featuring dummy opposition candidates fielded by the Awami League. With major opposition parties boycotting the polls again, Hasina’s Awami League secured a fourth consecutive term.

Hasina was ousted from power and forced to flee to India on August 5 amid widespread student-led protests against her government. She had been the prime minister of Bangladesh for 16 years.

Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus took over as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government on August 8.

After the reconstitution of the country’s Election Commission on November 21, calls for investigating past elections intensified, with civil society and media urging reforms to restore public trust.

Uddin on Saturday emphasised the importance of delivering free, fair and transparent elections.

“The EC is committed to earning the nation’s trust by delivering transparent elections,” the Dhaka Tribune quoted him as saying. “Field officers must always be prepared to organise elections at short notice.”

The Election Commission has initiated several reform measures and is preparing for the 13th National Election, the newspaper reported.

Yunus had indicated during his Victory Day speech on December 16 that elections could be held between late 2025 and mid-2026, after updating the electoral roll.

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