Staff Reporter :
Kazi Habibul Awal, Chief Election Commissioner, on Monday said that they would not force any political party to take part in the next general election.
“BNP is one of the leading parties in the country. We have no words about what they (BNP) demands. We have no jurisdiction to interfere in their political strategy. We will not force anyone to join the election,” said the CEC at his office at Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka.
Mentioning that Election Commission wants to hold a participatory election, he said, “We want a participatory election. Competitive election creates balance.”
The CEC urged all political parties to participate in the next general election actively. “Keep your trust on Election Commission. We will not
force anyone to take part in election”. He said if BNP participate in the election it will be more participatory. “We do not have any words regarding what BNP wants now. But we will move forward on the path of responsibility which is assigned to us. I would not be upset if you remove me from my post tomorrow.”
About Electronic voting machines (EVMs), the CEC said, “We held a meeting about EVM and took a decision on holding election by using EVMs. Based on the opinion of the political parties, we decided to use EVMs in 150 seats instead of 300”.
He said whether use of EVM in the election would be possible or not that depends on it’s availability.
The CEC further said that despite a lot of assessment the commission did not find any forgery or flaw in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
However, one problem could arise if someone votes in place of another. In this regard, CCTV cameras would be installed in all the voting booths, he added.
“We have to make arrangements to implement EVM. However, if we cannot implement it, then we will have to go for ballots,” he added.
He called on all the political parties to cooperate with them to ensure fair election.
