‘Won’t join farcical vote’: Bangladesh opposition leader ahead of election

Protesters outside the office of the Election Commission of Bangladesh, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, November 15, 2023. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the country's main opposition party, is boycotting January elections [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]

A day before nominations end for Bangladesh’s January 7 parliamentary election, the country’s leading opposition party has confirmed that it will not participate in the vote, citing irregularities by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Senior Joint Secretary General of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), told Al Jazeera there is “no chance of us participating in the election” until a key demand of the party is met. Thursday, November 30, is the last date for submission of nominations.