Press Release
Dhaka, 16 February 2026: The 13th National Election was held at an acceptable level of fairness, participation, competitiveness and inclusivity. Although signs of relatively healthy competition were observed at the beginning, political parties and candidates gradually maintained old political practices of violent electoral activities. As a result, inter-party and intra-party conflicts, unhealthy competition for power, and violence increased progressively during the election period and have continued even after the polls, commented Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB). At the same time, although the authoritarian government has fallen, the organisation believes that the culture of “must win at any cost” has persisted among many political parties and candidates.
These remarks were made today at a press conference organised at TIB’s Dhanmondi office on the occasion of the release of a report titled “13th National Election Process Tracking and Affidavits: TIB’s Observations.” Present at the press conference were TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman; Director of Research and Policy, Muhammad Badiuzzaman; and Assistant Coordinator, Data Visualisation, Rifat Rahman. The report was presented by Director of Outreach and Communication, Mohammad Tauhidul Islam, and Senior Research Fellow, Md. Mahfuzul Haque.
Overall observations reveal a lack of cooperation from political parties and candidates with the Election Commission in complying with the electoral code of conduct. Ninety-nine percent of candidates violated one or more provisions of the electoral code of conduct. Among 70 constituencies selected through random sampling, incidents of one or more cases of ballot stuffing were found in 21.4 percent of constituencies, and multiple irregularities were reported in 40 percent of constituencies. Campaign expenditure limits (online and offline) were widely exceeded, both individually and jointly. The highest violations were observed among BNP (327.5%), independent candidates (315.2%), Jamaat (159.1%), Jatiya Party (128.6%), and NCP (19.0%). On average, candidates who exceeded the spending limit spent BDT 16,498,101.
Based on the current value of movable and immovable assets, 236 Members of Parliament (79.46%) are millionaires in BDT terms, including 13 whose declared assets exceed BDT 100 crore. Additionally, half of the Members of the 13th Parliament have liabilities or debts amounting to BDT 113.56 billion, the highest compared to the previous four parliaments. Party-wise, this rate is 62 percent in BNP and 16 percent in Jamaat-e-Islami. Among the top 10 MPs with assets exceeding BDT 100 crore based on movable and immovable assets, nine belong to BNP and one is independent. All of the top 10 MPs with the highest liabilities or debts belong to BNP. In terms of land ownership, at least 62 percent of MPs—184 in number—own a minimum of one acre of land, which is the highest compared to the previous four parliaments.
A profession-based review of the elected members shows that compared to the 12th Parliament, the proportion of businesspersons (approximately 60 percent) in the 13th Parliament has decreased by 5 percent, although it has increased by 3 percent compared to the 9th Parliament. Compared to the previous four parliaments, this parliament has the highest number of teachers (8.1 percent), while the number of career politicians is the lowest. Additionally, 11.8 percent belong to the legal profession. Women’s representation in the 13th Parliament stands at only 2.36 percent, which is half of that in the 9th Parliament elected in 2008 and the lowest among the last four elections. This means only seven women members have been elected this time. In comparison, there were 14 women members in the 9th Parliament, 20 in the 10th, 22 in the 11th, and 20 in the 12th Parliament.
This parliament is comparatively younger; 209 members, or 70 percent, are entering parliament for the first time. Both the prospective Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition are also entering parliament for the first time. Moreover, 84.83 percent of the members of the 13th Parliament hold graduate, postgraduate or higher degrees. Observations on dual citizenship and overseas income and assets show that eight Members of Parliament earn income from foreign sources. Five MPs have disclosed movable assets, foreign bank accounts, or investments abroad. Three MPs have declared ownership of immovable property or land outside Bangladesh in their affidavits.
TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, “In many instances, contesting parties and candidates were not fully successful in complying with the code of conduct. Although the authoritarian government has fallen, the culture of ‘must win at any cost’ persisted among many political parties and candidates. At the beginning of the campaign period, we observed elements of healthy competition; however, as election day approached, this gradually turned into unhealthy competition. In addition, incidents of instability occurred due to the declared anti-election stance and activities of the fallen authoritarian forces. On the other hand, among those who participated in the election—particularly a section of candidates from the two rival alliances led by BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as those who contested as rebel candidates after being denied party nomination—this threefold intolerance, unhealthy competition, and in some cases violence were evident.”
Referring to the misuse of money, religion, muscle power, patriarchal and majoritarian forces in the election, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman further stated, “These factors disrupted the level playing field necessary for healthy competition. In many cases, such elements influenced nominations as well as campaign activities. As a result, the extent to which a truly level playing field was ensured is something that political parties need to reflect upon. At the same time, due to violence and unhealthy competition, fear was created among women, religious and ethnic minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised communities. In particular, online and offline attacks against women generated concern about going to polling centres or participating in the election, which also created a sense of fear among general voters. This was reflected in the voter turnout rate. Although approximately 60 percent turnout may appear satisfactory compared to many countries around the world, it is not encouraging by Bangladesh’s standards. Moreover, a segment of voters may not have developed the confidence that casting their vote would bring positive change for them. This lack of confidence may have contributed to a significant number of voters refraining from voting. On the other hand, women’s representation in the new parliament is the lowest in recent times, which reflects the negative influence of religious extremism, patriarchy, and the power of money in politics.”
Commenting that despite the Election Commission’s active engagement and goodwill, various limitations prevented it from fully controlling irregularities committed by political parties as well as independent candidates, Dr. Zaman said, “It was not possible to ensure a fully rights-based, fair, impartial, and secure electoral environment for all candidates and voters. Furthermore, a section of government officials and law enforcement personnel assigned to election duties demonstrated shortcomings in maintaining neutrality. In some cases, information has been received regarding irregularities, inaction, and illegal transactions. Political parties were more inclined toward non-cooperation than cooperation with the Commission in ensuring compliance with the code of conduct. It is noteworthy that both principal rivals have raised allegations of bias against the Commission, which may indirectly indicate the Commission’s effort to remain neutral.”
Expressing concern over multiple violations of the prescribed campaign expenditure limits, the TIB Executive Director further stated, “The enormous nomination-centric expenditure in Bangladesh, which could not be included in this research due to the lack of reliable data, also needs to be taken into consideration. In terms of visible campaign spending, the degree of violation was highest among candidates of the two leading parties—BNP and Jamaat. A large proportion of Members of Parliament are now millionaires or multi-millionaires. However, a matter of concern is that nearly half of them have substantial liabilities or debts. Collectively, the total amount of debt among Members of Parliament has broken all previous records. We hope that the new parliament will take firm steps in upholding commitments to reform political culture and undertake state reforms, as almost all those elected have, in one way or another, been victims of authoritarianism and kleptocracy.”
TIB has been conducting continuous research to monitor integrity in Bangladesh’s elections. For the 13th National Parliamentary Election, two interrelated studies were carried out: process tracking and candidate-affidavit analysis. Using representative random sampling, 70 constituencies were selected out of 300 seats for the process-tracking study.
Media Contact:
Mohammad Tauhidul Islam
Director, Outreach and Communication
Phone: +8801713107868
Email: tauhidul@ti-bangladesh.org
