EC committed to holding credible polls: CEC
UNB
Dhaka: Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Wednesday said the current Election Commission is committed to arranging a free, fair and acceptable election at the year-end.
‘The present Election Commission will take the measure whatever is needed for arranging a fair election,’ he said.
The CEC was addressing the inaugural session of the 9th meeting of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) at hotel Radisson Blu in the city.
Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury inaugurated the two-day FEMBoSA meeting.
Representatives from the Election Commissions of eight countries—Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka—attended the meeting.
At the meeting, immediate past chair of FEMBoSA and Chairman of Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan Dr Gulajan Abdul Badi Squad handed over the chair to Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda.
Nurul Huda said the Election Commission is determined to hold a free and fair election as per the Constitution.
About the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), he said the Commission has proposed the amendment to the Representation of the People Order incorporating the provision to use the machines in the parliamentary elections as the EC got a marked success using the machines in local body elections.
Talking about the FEMBoSA meeting, the DEC said this conference will help share experiences among members of the Forum.
Addressing the opening session, former chief election commission Dr ATM Shamsul Huda said the EVMs should not be imposed hurriedly in the national election.
He said there is nothing to hurry as EVMs can be used in the general election on trial basis after gaining public trust by using those in local body polls.
Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said it is important to gain public confidence in the parliamentary elections as Parliament is the centre point in a parliamentary democracy.
‘The main foundation of democracy is free, fair and inclusive elections. So, ensuring transparency in the electoral process is one of the prerequisites to free polls,’ she said.
In the two-day FEMBoSA meeting, three general sessions and eight technical sessions are scheduled to be held.
The FEMBoSA was established in 2010 with election management bodies of the South Asian countries.