Referring to the upcoming national election, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said that till now there is all kind of cooperation from the government.
Without the government’s goodwill during the election, it will be difficult for the Election Commission alone to conduct free and fair elections, he said after a meeting with the general secretary of Jatiya Party at Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka on Monday.
A delegation led by Jatiya Party (JaPa) Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu participated in the meeting. At that time, Election Commissioner Ahsan Habib Khan, EC Secretary Jahangir Alam were present with the CEC.
The opposition party expressed apprehension about the fairness of the five city elections. Violation of code of conduct is rampant but no action is being taken. Along with this, the demand of the JaPa candidate regarding the withdrawal of the returning officer of the Barisal City election was highlighted.
Regarding the allegations of widespread violation of code of conduct, the CEC said: “Visible steps are being taken to conduct good elections. Votes will be questionable if visibly good elections are not conducted.”
Kazi Habibul Awal said: “The more competitive the election, the fairer it will be. The election should be competitive. Through this, a kind of balance is developed in the election.
“It is a ground reality that if the government does not have the political will, it is difficult for the Election Commission alone to organize free and fair elections. We have also recognized and we have emphasized that the political will of the government that will exist in the upcoming national elections will be necessary,” he added.
He asked for the cooperation of the rival parties, the administration of the government and the police to ensure free, impartial and participatory elections.
The CEC said: “We have not received any election interference from the government till date after taking charge. All eyes are now on the national elections. With the help of the administration so far, if they stay in a neutral position, then it will be possible for us to conduct the elections well. We cannot say for sure what will happen in the future. There will be pressure from us on the government.”
He said: “If the election is affected, if information comes to us through (mainstream) media and not social media, if we see that there is a consensus, then the commission will take appropriate action.”
When attention was drawn to the violation of code of conduct in many areas including Sylhet city, the CEC said: “There will be numerous violations of code of conduct. Not everything will be taken into account. At the end of the day what people want to know is how the election went.”
He also said: “It should be made visible whether the election has been good or not. If not visible, the selection will become questionable.”
JaPa’s complaints and concerns
After the meeting, JaPa Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu said: “JaPa was facing some problems in the five city polls. We came here to address them. There was some talk about Gaibandha’s vote. We had a bitter experience with the last UP elections. Those who were in the Election Commission at that time, could not take any action.”
He expressed his displeasure over the lack of visible action against those responsible for irregularities in Gaibandha. Chunnu said: “We have told the commission today (Monday) that if the penal matters are not visible, if the people do not know, then the trust will not come.”
He said that they have also raised the issue of bad behaviour and biased behaviour of Barisal’s returning officer. CEC replied that they will investigate.
Mujibul Haque Chunnu also said: “Creating a good election environment is mainly the responsibility of the EC, political parties also have it. There are candidates, there are incumbents. So, everyone’s cooperation is needed. There is concern in our mind that whether the election will be free and fair.”
Pointing out that EC will not be able to do anything overnight, Chunnu said: “We have confidence in EC. That’s why we are coming to help them and get help from them.”
