A total of 79.46% of members in the 13th National Parliament are millionaires, according to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
The anti-corruption watchdog said that based on the current value of movable and immovable assets, 236 elected lawmakers are millionaires, including 13 who own assets worth over Tk 100 crore.
The findings were disclosed at a press conference at the Midas Center in the capital on Monday, where TIB unveiled a report titled “Observation of the 13th National Parliament Election Process and Affidavit-based Review.”
Presenting the overall election observation, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said half of the MPs in the 13th Parliament have liabilities or loans, with the total amount standing at Tk11,356 crore — the highest compared to the previous four parliaments. Party-wise, 62% of BNP lawmakers and 16% Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami lawmakers have liabilities.
The report also said that businesspersons continue to dominate the legislature, accounting for around 60% of members. However, compared to the 12th Parliament, the number of businesspeople has decreased by 5%, though it has increased by 3% compared to the Ninth Parliament.
Regarding election management, the report noted widespread irregularities and inaction among a section of government officials involved in organizing the polls, particularly within the administration and law enforcement agencies, in ensuring a healthy and influence-free environment.
It said political parties and many candidates displayed a non-cooperative attitude toward the Election Commission in upholding the code of conduct and ensuring a level playing field. Although major parties pledged compliance with the electoral code, they failed to honor that commitment. Candidates also continued to exceed prescribed campaign expenditure limits.
The campaign spending ceiling was widely violated both online and offline. The extent of violations was highest among candidates of the top two parties — BNP and Jamaat. Offline or direct campaign expenditures exceeded limits by approximately 19% to 328%. The highest violations were recorded by BNP (327.5%), followed by independents (315.2%), Jamaat (159.1%), Jatiya Party (128.6%), and NCP (19.0%).
Women’s representation in the 13th Parliament stands at just 2.36 percent — half that of the Ninth Parliament in 2008 and the lowest to date, the report said.
The current Parliament is comparatively younger, with 209 lawmakers — or 70% — entering Parliament for the first time. Both the probable leader of the House and the leader of the opposition are also first-time MPs.
About 84.83% of MPs hold graduate, postgraduate, or higher degrees, with postgraduates comprising the largest group at 44.83%. Compared to the previous four parliaments, the highest number of teachers have been elected this time, while the number of professional politicians has decreased the most.
The report further said that 99% of candidates violated at least one of the 58 provisions of the electoral code of conduct. Despite widespread violations in almost every stage of the election, including online and offline campaigning, direct control was not possible due to the limitations of the Commission.
As a result, it was not possible to ensure a level playing field for all parties and candidates or guarantee a fully rights-based, neutral, healthy, and secure electoral environment for voters of all categories.
At the press conference, TIB said overall the election was acceptable to a certain extent in terms of being fair, participatory, competitive, and inclusive. However, contesting parties and candidates were not fully successful in complying with the code of conduct in many cases.
Although the authoritarian government has fallen, the practice of “must win at any cost” persists among many political parties and candidates, the report observed. While early signs indicated relatively healthy competition among parties and alliances, violent intra-party conflicts, unhealthy competition for power, and election-related violence gradually increased. Post-election violence and declared anti-election activities by fallen authoritarian forces contributed to instability and voter anxiety.
TIB also said that political parties and candidates not only continued but significantly increased the use of money, religion, muscle power, patriarchal, and majoritarian forces in the election.
While the Election Commission and other stakeholders made visible efforts to exercise their authority to prevent code violations, irregularities, and unhealthy competition and to ensure a free, neutral, transparent, and level playing field, political conflict in many cases hindered effective enforcement, the report added.
