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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, Awami League never came to power through rigging. His party guaranteed the right of the people to vote and always came to power by popular vote.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina said this in response to a question at a press conference organized by the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York on Saturday. He said, those who wanted to raise questions about the election, who are they? Awami League has always fought to establish democracy in the country.

Sheikh Hasina said that the people will vote freely in the elections and BNP has nothing to worry about.

He said, ‘I think they (BNP) are really worried that there will be a transparent election. Because, they are not getting the opportunity to rig the vote and keep 1 crore 23 lakh fake voters in the voter list. Otherwise there is nothing to worry about.’

He said that the people will vote freely in the elections. The elections of 2009, 2014 and 2018 were held in such an environment. Regarding the participation of BNP in the elections, he said that BNP did not participate in the 2014 elections, it was their party’s decision. They know that they have no chance of coming to power through a proper electoral process. They are used to rise to power through assassinations, coups and conspiracies. This is the reality.

Sheikh Hasina said that the Awami League government has brought the country’s election process on the right track, which was derailed during the military rule and BNP-Jamaat regime. Regarding Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), he said, EVM is a modern system and it is used in many countries of the world. We have seen that, where EVMs are used, election results are available quickly and people can cast their votes freely. In response to a question, he said, among expatriates who do not have NID, they can open a bank account with their passport. That arrangement has already been made.

In response to a question, ‘What are you returning home with from this UN session’, he said, ‘I am returning home with friendship for Bangladesh and everyone tried to say that Bangladesh is a miracle of development. The most important thing is that we want peace; I don’t want war, I don’t want conflict. I think the most important thing is that I have been able to convey this message to everyone and everyone has appreciated Bangladesh and our role.’

In his earlier written speech, he said that Bangladesh actively participated in all the important meetings of the United Nations this year. Active participation of the Bangladesh delegation in the session strengthened Bangladesh’s position in the multilateral forum. In addition, he is hopeful that the field of international cooperation will be expanded on issues related to the interests of Bangladesh. He said these things at a press conference at the Bangladesh Permanent Mission in New York on Saturday.

The Prime Minister said that he participated in a total of eight high-level meetings and side events during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly session. Apart from this, he participated in 12 important bilateral meetings with heads of state, heads of government and heads of international organizations.

Referring to the speech given at the United Nations, he said, ‘There is a need for mutual solidarity more than at any time in the past to get rid of the food and energy crisis and economic uncertainty caused by the corona epidemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Developing countries including Bangladesh are suffering more due to these crises. Therefore, I call upon the world community to resolve crises and disputes through dialogue rather than imposing economic sanctions-reciprocal sanctions. I attach importance to leading the United Nations from the front in dealing with the crisis.

On the Rohingya issue, Sheikh Hasina said that the ongoing political unrest and conflict in Myanmar has made the repatriation of displaced Rohingyas difficult. He urged the United Nations to play an effective role in speeding up the safe and dignified repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar.

Referring to attending a reception at the invitation of US President Joe Biden, the Prime Minister said that he has invited the US President to visit Bangladesh.