Staff Reporter :
In a significant development likely to reshape public discourse on electoral integrity, former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) K.M. Nurul Huda on Tuesday admitted in court that the 2018 national election was rigged, with ballot boxes filled the night before polling day in clear violation of constitutional principles.
Huda’s statement was recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ziadur Rahman at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka. Following the confession, he was sent to jail.
Court sources confirmed that the former CEC acknowledged his and his colleagues’ involvement in facilitating voting activities overnight on 29 December 2018-one day ahead of the scheduled general election on 30 December. He reportedly admitted that under his directives, polling officials and law enforcement agencies allowed pre-election ballot stuffing, contributing to the ruling Awami League’s sweeping victory.
Huda also stated that affiliated student and youth organisations effectively took control of polling stations on election day, preventing opposition candidates and their agents from accessing the centres. “We knowingly deprived the people of their right to vote,” he is quoted as saying in court documents. “This was a breach of public trust and a violation of the Constitution.”
The confession came at the conclusion of a four-day remand, following his arrest on 22 June. The arrest, captured in viral social media footage, occurred when demonstrators forcibly removed him from his residence in Uttara and handed him over to police.
The case against Huda was filed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, accusing him and 23 others-including three former election commissioners-of orchestrating a fraudulent election that effectively denied voting rights to the population.
According to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), Huda confessed to coordinating with security agencies and administrative authorities to carry out the overnight operation, which allegedly involved ballot-box stuffing and the strategic exclusion of opposition voters.
The 2018 general election, often referred to as the “Night Vote”, has long been marred by accusations of widespread irregularities, including voter suppression and manipulation of the electoral process. Huda’s court confession marks the first time a former election chief has formally acknowledged these claims.
He further admitted that he acted in anticipation of securing political continuity for the Awami League, abandoning his constitutional obligation to ensure a free and fair election.
The admission follows a similar statement last week by former CEC Kazi Habibul Awal, who described the January 7, 2024 election as a “dummy” exercise lacking political consensus.
Human rights organisations and opposition leaders have welcomed the confessions as landmark moments in the country’s democratic journey, though many continue to call for comprehensive legal proceedings and structural electoral reforms.
With Huda now behind bars and an official investigation ongoing, political analysts suggest this could prove to be a turning point in Bangladesh’s efforts to reckon with its electoral past and rebuild trust in its democratic institutions.
