Press Release
Dhaka, 22 January 2026: Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed disappointment that no political party has met the July Charter’s proposed 5 percent target for women candidates in the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election, as women’s representation continues to be constrained by money, muscle power, and religious extremism. The organisation has also called for thorough verification of the accuracy of information provided in the affidavits of election candidates, including details on dual citizenship, income, assets, loans, and liabilities, as well as an assessment of whether income and assets have been acquired through lawful means. TIB emphasised that it is essential to verify how much of their acquired assets candidates have disclosed, whether they have made full disclosures, and whether any information regarding assets acquired at home or abroad has been concealed. At the same time, it is equally important to examine how consistent the income and asset information revealed through affidavit analysis is with lawful earnings. Based on such verification, TIB has urged the Election Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the National Board of Revenue to take initiatives to ensure accountability.
These observations were made at an event organised to release TIB’s report titled “Candidate Profiles in Election Affidavits” and to launch the “Know Your Candidate (KYC)” dashboard. The press conference was attended by Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director, TIB; Prof. Dr. Sumaiya Khair, Adviser–Executive Management; Muhammad Badiuzzaman, Director, Research and Policy; Zafar Sadiq, Deputy Coordinator, Outreach & Communication; Rifat Rahman and K. M. Rafiqul Alam, Assistant Coordinator (Data Visualization), Outreach & Communication. The report was presented by Mohammad Tauhidul Islam, Director of Outreach and Communication at TIB.
According to TIB’s observations, under the Representation of the People Order, candidates contesting parliamentary elections are required to declare any dual citizenship and submit proof of renunciation of foreign citizenship along with their affidavits. In this election, 21 candidates declared that they had acquired and later renounced foreign citizenship. However, despite TIB possessing reliable information, at least two candidates did not mention their dual citizenship status in their affidavits; according to available information, they were British citizens. In another case, a declared dependent of a candidate purchased a house in the United Kingdom in 2013 valued at £1.4 million pound (approximately BDT 210 Crore), which was not mentioned in the candidate’s affidavit. Reliable sources indicate that a shell company was used in the purchase, with ownership registered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In another instance, although a candidate did not declare any personal assets abroad, his wife owns a flat in Dubai. One candidate declared ownership of three flats abroad, but investigations suggest the actual number is at least three times higher, with an estimated investment of around BDT 35 Crore. Another candidate did not acknowledge ownership of any business abroad, yet investigations found links to a total of 11 companies, eight of which are engaged in commercial activities. In another case, although old information about a candidate’s company registration in a tax haven is widely available, no such declaration was found in the affidavit.
Commenting that the institutions responsible for verifying the information submitted in affidavits lack the necessary capacity, or, even where such capacity exists, fail to use it effectively, TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, “A wide gap has been observed between the information provided in candidates’ affidavits and reality. The information disclosed through affidavits raises multiple questions. It is essential to investigate three issues: whether information has been concealed; whether the declared assets are consistent with lawful income or were acquired through corruption and abuse of power; and whether the amount of tax payable against the declared income or assets is realistic. This would make it clear to the public what kind of candidates they are going to have in the election. However, in practice, none of these are actually done. We hope that the Election Commission and other responsible authorities will verify these matters in line with their commitments and take timely action.”
TIB’s affidavit analysis shows that a total of 51 political parties are contesting the 13th National Parliamentary Election, with 1,981 final candidates, about 13 percent of whom are independents. The number of candidates from Islamist parties has increased significantly; they now constitute more than 36 percent of total candidates—the highest among the last five elections. As in previous elections, women’s participation remains negligible, and no political party has met the 5 percent target proposed in the July Charter.
The TIB Executive Director said, “The share of candidates from Islamist parties has risen to 36 percent, yet most Islamist parties—including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami—do not have a single woman candidate. Overall, women account for only 3.38 percent of party-nominated candidates, whereas among independent candidates this figure is 10 percent. This clearly shows that the argument often put forward by political parties—that there are no qualified or interested women candidates—is baseless. Not only Islamist parties, but also mainstream political parties, including the BNP, have denied women nominations due to power-centric alliance politics. The failure of political parties to ensure women’s representation in elections is driven by political forces such as money, muscle power, and religious extremism. These are among the defining features of our political culture. Therefore, it would not be unreasonable to say that expectations and commitments regarding women’s participation in elections and women’s representation in Parliament have been trampled.”
In response to a question from the media, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman added, “Because of forces attempting to capture politics by using money, muscle power, and religion as capital, the prospects for healthy politics are steadily shrinking. Granting legitimacy to loan-defaulter businesspeople constitutes a violation of the Election Commission’s constitutional responsibility. Essentially, due to a lack of moral courage, the Commission has approved the nominations of loan defaulters, which is condemnable. Those who were at the forefront of default-loan practices in Bangladesh’s political arena went on to occupy the highest levels of state power, including Parliament, and established authoritarian rule. If such practices continue in the newly elected Parliament, it will amount to ultimate disappointment. Whether lawmaking and policy reform will remain hostage to a particular group, or whether the possibilities achieved through unprecedented sacrifice will be realised—this is now the central question.”
An analysis of candidates’ professions shows that over 48 percent are primarily businesspersons. Legal practice and teaching account for 12.61 percent and 11.56 percent of candidates respectively, while only 1.56 percent identify politics as their profession. Based on the current market value of movable and immovable assets, 891 candidates are multimillionaires, and 27 candidates possess assets worth more than BDT 1 billion. About 25.5 percent of all candidates have some form of loan or liability, with total declared liabilities exceeding BDT 188.68 billion. Although the number of indebted candidates is the lowest among the last five elections, the total amount of debt is the highest; of this, nearly BDT 17.5 Thousand Crore (175 billion) is bank loans.
According to affidavit data, 530 candidates (22.66 percent) currently face criminal cases, while 740 candidates (31.64 percent) had cases filed against them in the past. The total declared election expenditure by candidates of all parties is BDT 463.7 Core (4.637 billion), with an average expenditure of BDT 22.5 Lakh (2.25 million) per candidate. The highest declared expenditure is by BNP at BDT 119.5 Crore (1.195 billion), followed by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami at BDT 80.6 Crore (806 million).
The analysis also shows that, compared to 259 candidates, their spouses or dependents possess higher movable assets; compared to 118 candidates, their spouses or dependents own more buildings or flats; and compared to 164 candidates, their spouses or dependents own more land.
The analysis of information on candidates contesting the 13th National Parliamentary Election aims to help voters make informed choices through comparative assessment of candidates in their constituencies. Another key objective of TIB’s initiative is to encourage relevant institutions—such as the Election Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, National Board of Revenue, Financial Intelligence Unit, and political parties—to expedite scrutiny of declared information within their respective mandates, particularly to determine whether affidavit disclosures are adequate and consistent with reality, whether declared income and assets are lawful, and whether any assets acquired at home or abroad under real or proxy ownership have been concealed. Alongside the report, an interactive dashboard has also been developed.
Dashboard link: https://www.ti-bangladesh.org/kyc. Through this dashboard, users can view comprehensive, constituency-wise, and party-wise comparative profiles of all election candidates.
Media Contact:
Mohammad Tauhidul Islam
Director, Outreach and Communication
Phone: +8801713107868
Email: tauhidul@ti-bangladesh.org
