The election commission (EC) is confident in holding the 12th national parliament elections amid the conflicting political situation prevailing in the country. The EC has been holding meeting with the law enforcing agencies continuously to prevent clash and conflicts in the constituencies. They’ve planned to deploy the law enforcing forces on the fields after the polls for 15 days to keep the situation calm.
Already, the EC has taken action against infringing while submitting nomination papers, and submitting it online to reduce the malpractice of muscle power, along with reducing the hassle in searching the voting centers. Now, the voters will know about the centers and polling matters through smartphones, and digital apps has been introduced in this regard.
The EC said the commission would conduct divisional and district visits for ensuring peaceful polls. In this regard, election commissioner Brigadier General (retd.) Md. Ahsan Habib Khan told The Bangladesh Pratidin, “The Election Commission is making every effort to make the upcoming parliamentary elections free, impartial, acceptable and participatory. The EC is confident that with the cooperation of all stakeholders, the polls will be fair, peaceful and festive. Already the top officials of the departmental and district level have been made aware of their responsibilities and duties and various steps are being taken for this. Soon honorable commissioners are planning to hold a meeting on law and order at the divisional and district level, and with prospective candidates, representatives of political parties. All the parties will be called upon to come to the polls after settling the differences and disagreements and encourage the voters to choose the desired candidate."
Meanwhile, the election commission will deliver the ballot papers to the districts three to four days before the parliamentary elections. However, the commission will decide whether the ballot paper will go to the polling station on the night before the polling or on the morning of the polling day after observing the law and order situation of the country. Apart from this, the commission has banned all types of campaigning before allocating election symbols.
On the other hand, as the elections schedule has been announced, now the approval of the EC has to be taken for the transfer of district and divisional level administration officials. The mayor or chairman of the local government must first resign to be a candidate for the parliamentary elections. The EC has fixed the deadline for submitting the applications of election monitoring body to the Election Commission by November 25. Contesting candidates can spend Tk 10 per voter in each constituency. The Election Commission (EC) has fixed this expenditure limit in the notification issued. According to the Public Representation Order of the National Assembly Elections Act, the maximum election expense of a candidate is Tk. 25 lakh.
EC secretary Jahangir Alam on Thursday said that the ballot papers of the twelfth national elections will be delivered to the district level three to four days before the polls. He said after allocating symbols to the candidates, they will start printing the ballot papers. Ballot papers will go to the district level three-four days before the elections. It has not yet been decided when it will be sent to polling stations.
As the schedule has been announced, the EC Secretary said the approval of the EC should be taken for the transfer of district and divisional level administration officials. The mayor or chairman of the local government must first resign to be a candidate for the elections. To whom to resign, it is said in the law. He said, "We have requested all concerned in the inter-ministerial meeting regarding the advance campaign. They will take initiative according to their flexibility."
(The report was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on November 17 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque)
