Staff Reporter :
The BNP has demanded resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other commissioners of the Election Commission (EC) for indulging in illegal activities. The party has alleged that the EC is enrolling youths under-18 in the voter list illegally.
BNP’s current spokesman and the party’s International Affairs Secretary Asaduzzaman Ripon raised the demand in a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office in the city on Monday. “The EC is a puppet body of the government. No election, including the April 28 city polls in Dhaka and Chittagong, held under the EC were free and fair. So, it has to resign,” he said.
Dr Ripon termed the EC’s move to enroll 15-17 year old youths in the voter list as unlawful, motivated and whimsical. He warned that the participation of the opposition parties in polls in future would be uncertain under the current EC remains.
He said, “We are observing with great anxiety that the Election Commission has taken a whimsical decision to register youths of 15-17 age group in updating the voter list in about 300 municipalities and union parishads. The EC is doing it ahead of the municipal and U/P elections, they have plan of holding the polls in the year end.”
The BNP leader asked the EC to immediately stop the unlawful registration of the youths under-18 in the voter list.
On July 25, the EC began the voter list updating process with data collection in 189 upazilas and thanas in the first phase. The commission also announced to register the youths aged 15-17 during the three-phased data collection period for updating the country’s voter list.
Dr Ripon said that their party has many reasons to consider the EC’s move a motivated one to register immature citizens. They fear that the move might have been taken to ensure the victory of the ruling party-backed candidates in the upcoming municipality and U/P elections, he said.
In this situation, the BNP demands resignation of the CEC and other commissioners voluntarily for breach of trust. “If they don’t do that, we will urge the President to impeach them exercising his power bestowed upon him as per the constitutional provision,” said the BNP leader.
