Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday expressed happiness for its satisfactory performance in holding the municipality polls despite clashes, vote rigging and many irregularities in different parts of the country.
The law and order situation, says the EC, during the polls was good all over the country. Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said in a press briefing on Wednesday evening that the election was held peacefully and voters exercised their franchise with much enthusiasm.
“We are satisfied with the municipality polls,” he said.
The CEC also claimed that the commission discharged their duties properly and were not partisan.
“Our prime objective was to manage the law and order situation,” Election Commissioner Md Abu Hafiz said.
Md Abu Hafiz said that the voter turnout was satisfactory and the good atmosphere prevailed in the polling centers.
He also claimed that elections in most areas were held ‘peacefully’.
“We took prompt action the moment we received a complaint. By 1:30pm, voting was suspended in 14 centres. Our aim was to keep the atmosphere beautiful for the voters.”
About the clashes and vote rigging, he said that some untoward incidents occurred, but the commission dealt with those immediately.
Voting in the first municipal polls on party lines in Bangladesh started at 8am in 234 municipalities.
By 2pm, voting in 14 polling centres had to be suspended due to clashes and vote fraud.
