Staff Reporter :
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal has said that arbitration between political parties is not the duty of the Election Commission (EC). EC wants all political parties’ participation in election.
He made the remark during a dialogue with Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) on Sunday.
CEC said there is enough power with EC. The constitution has given a lot of power for holding free, fair and participatory polls.
Kazi Habibul Awal said, without the polls time government this power would not be possible to apply.
CEC claimed that the diplomats came to the Election Commission (EC) but did not give any advice on the election. “They met us as part of the traditional continuity only.
Earlier, JSD leaders, in their proposal, alleged that some foreign diplomats have interfered in the work of the Bangladesh Election Commission against diplomatic etiquette.
They also opined that the EC should not indulge in such “unwanted snooping against diplomatic etiquette”.
“When the election comes, people of different mind come to meet us. Maybe it happened as part of that,” said CEC
In response to JSD’s proposal not to arbitrate, Habibul Awal said: ‘We are saying from the beginning that we will invite everyone fairly. We cannot force anyone to come to the polls as it is not our responsibility.”
Stating that the EC does not see any deficiency in the current laws of the country in the field of elections, he added: “We have been given sufficient powers by the Constitution to conduct the election. However, if there is any loophole, we will work on it.”
