Staff Reporter: Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar on Wednesday said that to conduct acceptable polls the election system must to be reformed.
`Legally the Election Commission is independent, but in reality this freedom is confined to its own system. That`s why a reform in the election process is a must,` he said while addressing at a training programme of the returning officers of two city corporations in Dhaka at the Election Training Institute at the EC.
He said, `I search the answer of the question, that why the election have not conducted in neutral and acceptable manner? Then I find the answer that the reform of the election system is highly needed in this regard.`
The election commissioner said, `If the election is a precondition for democracy, the election should be held in free, fair and inclusive manner in order to make the journey of democracy smooth.`
The illegally elected public representatives have no commitment to people or the democracy, he added.
Mahbub said that he did not want to see unfair polls like Khulna, Gazipur and Barishal any more.
On December 22, the EC announced that the elections to Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation would be held on January 30.
Mahbub called Returning Officers to show zero tolerance in the coming city corporation polls to create level playing field.
`Returning officers will be successful to hold a fair election by showing their own skill and competences defeating all evil forces,` he said.
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda said in the same programme that the DNCC and DSCC polls will be challenging for the EC.
He said they will not use electronic voting machines or EVMs in polls to the two Dhaka city corporations if everybody wants.
The EC also said that the use of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) would continue in national and local elections.
