Online Desk: BNP Chairperson’s advisory council member Zainul Abdin Farroque on Wednesday described the newly elected 12th parliament as illegal since it was formed through an election without the participation of voters.

“We have said that people did not participate in this election. This election was neither fair nor acceptable. The world’s largest democratic countries did not accept this election sans the participation of the voters. We think it is an illegal parliament of an illegal government,” he said.

Talking to reporters in front of the Jatiya Press Club while conducting mass contact, Farroque, also the opposition chief whip of the 9th parliament, said people will not accept the MPs of the new parliament as they did not elect them by their votes.

Earlier in the day, lawmakers elected in Sunday’s polls, boycotted by BNP and other opposition parties, took oath as members of the 12th parliament. Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury administered the oath to MPs-elect.

The Awami League, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, secured 222 seats, the Jatiya Party 11 seats, and the Workers Party, Jasad and the Bangladesh Kalyan Party bagged one seat each while the independent candidates  took 62 constituencies.

A gazette notification was issued on Tuesday on the results of the 12th National Elections with details of 298 newly elected members of Parliament.

Farroque together with the leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Matshajibi Dal distributed leaflets among the pedestrians and greeted them with flowers for boycotting the election.

“People boycotted the illegal elections. We’re thanking the people by giving them roses for not participating in the lopsided voting,” Farroque said.

He said the Awami League government carried out a shameful incident in the politics of Bangladesh on January 7 by showing over 40 percent voter turnout by its subservient Election Commission.

The BNP leader said the media reports and different documents suggest the actual voter turnout was not more than 4 percent. “The swearing-in ceremony of MPs of that election took place today. We completely reject it.”

He said the government that will be formed in this ‘illegal’ parliament will never be accepted by the people.

“We would like to tell the government that you have conducted a fake election without voters. (HM) Ershad also held elections in 1986 and 1988, but the people did not participate in those polls. You were in power by force. You won’t be able to run the government which was formed without the mandate of voters,” the BNP leader said.

He said the people of Bangladesh have woken up amid the violation of human rights in Bangladesh. “The BNP and like-minded parties are on the streets to establish democracy. Inshallah, we will be there on the streets and we’ll surely ensure the victory of democracy.”