Staff Reporter :Pointing finger towards the Election Commission [EC], Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik [SUJAN], a civil society platform working for good governance, on Tuesday said that the Commission itself is a ‘big obstacle’ to holding a free and fair election.”The local government system has been totally polluted. It’s in competency and incapability has reached at the extreme extent. The EC will not be able to perform well, even if we want better performance now…..It’s proved that no fair election is possible under the incumbent [EC] administration,” Badiul Alam Mazumdar, Secretary of SUJAN, said.Addressing a press conference at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU), he further said, “We think, the incidents of violence have increased this time due to introducing of party symbol in the Union Parishad election. The EC has apparently failed to arrange a fair election. So, it must step aside shouldering the responsibility.”Observing that the present EC has outshined the MA Aziz-led one, Badiul Alam Mazumdar also said the EC has proved that no fair polls, even at the Union Parishad level, are possible to hold under a partisan government.”The main allegation against the MA Aziz Commission during the BNP-led government that it had included over one crore voters in the voter list and not taken any step to correct it,” he said.”But that the Commission did not destroy our election system and no question was raised about the election it had held then. The current Commission has destroyed our entire election system which is an ominous sign for the nation,” he added.The SUJAN Secretary also observed that the EC has lost its control over the electoral system due to its biased role and incompetence. “Now it won’t be able to restore its control on it, even if tries. It is a matter of deep concern for us that this EC has already established that no fair elections, even the UP ones, are possible under a party government.”Widespread violence and ballot stuffing marred the first and second phases of election in the country’s around 1300 Union Parishads where at least 40 people were killed and over 3000 injured. The third phase is going to be held on April 23 with apprehension of massive bloodshed and vote rigging in different centres.
