Special Correspondent :
Chief Election Commissioner [CEC] KM Nurul Huda thinks that it would be a big challenge to make agree the main opposition BNP in participating the upcoming national polls while the Commission has taken an all-out initiative to bring the reregistered political parties in the election procedures.
He made the statement on Tuesday, the concluding day of the marathon dialogue, during a meeting with the former CECs, Commissioners and Secretaries to get proposals over fruitfully arranging the 11th parliamentary elections scheduled in 2018 in a free, fair and credible way.
Nurul Huda initiated the dialogue with his keynote speech at around 11:00am at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon area.
“I’m feeling easy now. In the last three months, we’ve received many proposals from different quarters,” the CEC said.
Among others, former CECs Justice Mohammad Abdur Rauf and ATM Shamsul Huda attended the dialogue. The EC also had sent invitations to Justice MA Aziz, Mohammad Abu Hena and Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad to attend the dialogue.
Taking part in the dialogue, former CEC Justice Abdur Rauf said the great challenge ahead of EC is nothing but proving its impartiality. “It needs engagement of impartial persons in the polls in a bid to arrange a free and fair election… It is not possible to arrange credible election involving the government officials,” Rauf said.
Another former CEC ATM Shamsul Huda suggested to upgrading the EC’s own human resources with a view to arranging a free, fair and inclusive election.
Former commissioners-SM Zakaria, Mahmud Hasan Mansur, Mudabbir Hossain Chowdhury, M Saiful Alam, MM Munsef Ali, AK Mohammad Ali, M Saiful Alam, Modabber Hossain Chowdhury, Mahmud Hasan Mansur, Muhammad Sohul Hossain, M Shakhawat Hossain, Mohammad Abdul Mobarak, Mohammad Abu Hafiz, Jabed Ali and M Shah Newaz also got EC’s invitation to attend the dialogue.
Of them, former Commissioner M Shakhawat Hossain taking part in the dialogue proposed to amend the RPO in 22 areas. He also proposed to keep army under EC’s control during the polls.
Another former Commissioner M Shah Newaz proposed to appoint Returning Officers from own officials of the EC.
After holding dialogues with the civil society, media and political parties, the EC held talks with the polls observers, women leaders and election experts on October 22, 23 and 24 respectively.
Earlier, the EC received a total of 531 proposals from 40 political parties in the marathon dialogue. Of them, the AL and its allies were in favour of keeping Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister during the election. But, the BNP and its partners favoured for a non-partisan polls-time government.
The main opposition in parliament Jatiya Party along with two other parties gave proposal to form a polls-time government with the parties that have representation in parliament.
Significantly, the EC does not have the authority to implement these proposals on the polls-time government. Whereas, 12 parties including the CPB also wanted dissolution of the parliament ahead of the election.
Of the 40 parties, 19 including the BNP favoured mobilization of armed forces personnel during the polls. Especially, the BNP proposed for judicial power to the army.
About deployment of armed forces personnel, the CEC had categorically said that EC will decide on the deployment of the army. “It will not depend on the will of anyone. Army deployment in the elections is entirely dependent on the situation of the environment,” he said.
Most of the parties gave proposals for ensuring a level playing field and laid emphasis on neutrality, inclusiveness, voting rights for expatriates, online submission of nomination papers, scrapping the rule making one-percent voters’ support a must for nomination and no government facility in campaign.
Some other parties suggested for keeping alleged war criminals, terrorists, and Rohingya refugees out of voter list, barring convicts of criminal cases from taking part in the election and publishing the same poster for all the parties. Besides, they also suggested for keeping the Home, Public Administration and Local Government ministries under the EC during the polls.
Although the CEC has finished series of dialogue with different quarters, he had earlier said that the EC would not play a role as a ‘negotiator’ between the political parties for compromise.
