STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon yesterday said a decade of one-sided, non-participatory elections paved the way for the July 2024 uprising.

Speaking as chief guest at the unveiling of “Phire Dekha Shei Shomoy” by Debate for Democracy Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron at CIRDAP in Dhaka, he alleged that the 10th, 11th and 12th parliamentary polls were “detached from the people”.

“The 151 uncontested seats and the culture of midnight voting severely damaged the country’s democracy,” he said.

Citing personal experience, Swapon claimed he was kept under house arrest for nearly 40 days during a “midnight election”, while his supporters were detained.