The letter called on the UN and UNDP to suspend electoral assistance until an environment conducive to free and inclusive elections is restored. As a result, the Awami League candidates won 153 of 300 seats uncontested in the 10th parliament, which the BNP described as a “parliament without votes”. In the 12th parliamentary election of January 2024, boycotted by BNP and like-minded groups, the Awami League ceded seats to the opposition Jatiya Party allegedly to portray the election as participatory. The Awami League won all three elections and governed for over 15 years, until its ouster on Aug 5, 2024, during the student-led mass uprising. The court observed that the three elections held under the Awami League “destroyed public confidence” due to the failure to ensure free and fair conditions.
