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Welcome Caretaker Government — Treat Electoral Fraud as Treason

VoteGuard International Ltd., an Australian-based organization dedicated to "Defending the Rule of the Electorate Worldwide" , has issued a press statement welcoming the formation of Bangladesh's caretaker government. The statement, issued by Founder & Executive Director Dr Abul Kalam Azad , commends the commitments expressed in the July National Charter 2025 to restore free, fair, and credible elections in the country.

Support for a Non-Party Caretaker Administration VoteGuard describes the Charter's call to reintroduce a non-party caretaker administration for conducting national elections as a "historic and necessary step" toward rebuilding public trust in the electoral process.

The organization acknowledges the limitations of such an administration, noting it has "several limitations and uncertainties in its formation process" and is "not elected by the people". However, VoteGuard argues that Bangladesh's electoral history shows a party-led election-time government is "less capable" of ensuring a credible election than a non-party one. It asserts that a non-party government is "more effective" in guaranteeing that the people—rather than political parties—determine who governs.

As evidence, the statement cites internationally recognized democracy datasets, such as Polity and V-Dem, which indicate that the elections held under non-party caretaker administrations in 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2008 were "more credible and acceptable" than other national elections held in the country. This historical evidence, VoteGuard concludes, "strongly supports" the July Charter's call for restoring a non-party election-time authority.

Defining Electoral Fraud as Treason. The press statement's second major point is that "no electoral reform can be complete" without addressing the legal principle that electoral fraud constitutes treason in multiparty systems.

VoteGuard argues that in such systems, "the people are the state". Therefore, electoral fraud severs the connection between the people and the government, an act which amounts to a "silent coup". The organization warns that unless this principle is "clearly established in law," existing treason provisions may be misused by "unlawfully elected regimes" to silence opponents instead of safeguarding the people's authority to choose their government.

Calls to Action VoteGuard International calls on all constitutional reform bodies and lawmakers in Bangladesh to take two specific actions:

• Implement the July National Charter's provisions for a caretaker or non-party election-time administration "without delay".
• Enact or amend national laws to define electoral fraud as an act of treason, carrying penalties up to the "highest legal penalties".

The organization states that these two reforms, "at least for now," can restore constitutional integrity and ensure the "rule of the electorate" remains supreme over any political or institutional interests.

To aid legislators, VoteGuard International noted that it provides a draft "Global Model Law" to countries worldwide, which defines and penalizes electoral fraud as treason. A copy of this draft, which can be "adapted to suit national contexts," was attached to the press release for consideration.