Dhaka, Feb 13 (IANS) The radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh has issued a stern warning on Friday, indicating that they will initiate a robust movement if the rights of citizens to express their opinions and vote are “manipulated” through any conspiratorial actions, according to local media reports.

During a press briefing at the Election Commission's office in Dhaka, Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Ehsanul Mahbub Jubayer proclaimed that any initiatives aimed at undermining the people's mandate and their voting rights would lead Jamaat to plan demonstrations and, if necessary, escalate to a more intense movement.

Jubayer emphasized that while Jamaat values all opinions shared respectfully, “if anyone plots or conspires against the people's voice, we will categorically reject it.”

In parallel, Jamaat took to its social media platform on Friday to express dissatisfaction with the electoral outcome process, while also thanking voters for participating in large numbers.

The party criticized the Election Commission for not releasing voter turnout statistics, alleging that certain elements within the administration displayed favoritism towards a major political party.

“Our discontent stems from the electoral process surrounding the results. The close and dubious losses faced by candidates from the 11-party coalition, ongoing discrepancies, and fabrications in unofficial result announcements, as well as the Commission's hesitance to publish voter turnout rates, coupled with signs of administrative bias towards a major party—these issues undeniably raise significant questions regarding the integrity of the results process,” the post articulated.

This commentary was made following reports from local media that indicated the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its coalition had triumphed in the 13th parliamentary elections.

According to the results made public, the BNP-led alliance secured 210 seats, paving the way for the formation of a new government under the BNP.

Reports from the Bangladeshi Bengali daily, Jugantor, suggest that party chairman Tarique is poised to lead the government, marking the return of a male Prime Minister in Bangladesh after nearly 35 years.

Following the vote tally on Thursday evening, unofficial results were shared from various districts.

From the Dhaka-17 constituency, unofficial results indicated that Tarique garnered 72,699 votes, defeating his nearest competitor, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate S.M. Khaliduzzaman, who obtained 68,300 votes, as reported by the Bangladeshi Bengali daily Prothom Alo.

Furthermore, Tarique was unofficially elected from the Bogra-6 constituency, receiving 216,284 votes across 150 centers. His closest rival, Jamaat candidate Abidur Rahman Sohel, attained 97,626 votes under the party’s scale symbol.

Tarique is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who served Bangladesh during two separate terms from 1991 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2006.

After Khaleda Zia’s passing in December of the previous year, Tarique took the helm of the BNP and is now set to guide the nation.