Staff Reporter :
Outgoing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on Wednesday said that the general election of January 5, 2014 was constitutional obligation as there was no way to avoid it.
“It was not possible to avoid the January 5, 2014 election as it was a constitutional obligation,” he told journalists on his last day of office at media center at Agargaon in the city yesterday.
The four other outgoing election commissioners — Mohammad Abu Hafiz, Brigadier General Md Zabed Ali (retd) and Md Shah Nawaz — were also present at the briefing. However, Mohammad Abdul Mobarak was not present in the briefing.
In 2012, late president Zillur Rahman appointed Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad the CEC, while Mohammad Abdul Mobarak, Abu Hafiz, Zabed Ali and Md Shah Nawaz election commissioners. And their five-year tenure expired yesterday.
He said, as the political parties failed to reach a consensus, it became essential for the Election Commission to hold national elections.
“The political parties, which boycotted the January 5 elections, unleashed a reign of terror across the country. If we didn’t take the challenge during that time, an unconstitutional situation would be created in the country,” he said.
Kazi Rakibuddin said that they had to face tough difficulties in holding various elections in the last five years tenure.
“Braving all sorts of odds, we have done our assigned duties honestly and neutrally. We have held six various elections including city corporation, upazila and union parishad in a free, fair and credible manner,” the CEC claimed.
Replying to a query about unopposed elected lawmakers in January 5 polls, the outgoing CEC said if the opposition political parties withdraw themselves from the race, it is very natural that the other political parties will take the chance.
“The example of unopposed elections are also in very high in the developed countries,” Kazi Rakibuddin said.
In the January 5 polls, voters in only 147 constituencies got the chance to vote as candidates in the other 153 seats were elected unopposed. As a result, more than half of the country’s 9.19 crore electorate did not get chance to vote.
The BNP-led 18-party alliance boycotted the election, as its demand for a non-party caretaker government to oversee the polls was not met.
The ruling AL won a three-fourths majority, and 127 of its candidates got elected unopposed. The election raised questions over the formation of a representative government.
Outgoing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on Wednesday said that the general election of January 5, 2014 was constitutional obligation as there was no way to avoid it.
“It was not possible to avoid the January 5, 2014 election as it was a constitutional obligation,” he told journalists on his last day of office at media center at Agargaon in the city yesterday.
The four other outgoing election commissioners — Mohammad Abu Hafiz, Brigadier General Md Zabed Ali (retd) and Md Shah Nawaz — were also present at the briefing. However, Mohammad Abdul Mobarak was not present in the briefing.
In 2012, late president Zillur Rahman appointed Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad the CEC, while Mohammad Abdul Mobarak, Abu Hafiz, Zabed Ali and Md Shah Nawaz election commissioners. And their five-year tenure expired yesterday.
He said, as the political parties failed to reach a consensus, it became essential for the Election Commission to hold national elections.
“The political parties, which boycotted the January 5 elections, unleashed a reign of terror across the country. If we didn’t take the challenge during that time, an unconstitutional situation would be created in the country,” he said.
Kazi Rakibuddin said that they had to face tough difficulties in holding various elections in the last five years tenure.
“Braving all sorts of odds, we have done our assigned duties honestly and neutrally. We have held six various elections including city corporation, upazila and union parishad in a free, fair and credible manner,” the CEC claimed.
Replying to a query about unopposed elected lawmakers in January 5 polls, the outgoing CEC said if the opposition political parties withdraw themselves from the race, it is very natural that the other political parties will take the chance.
“The example of unopposed elections are also in very high in the developed countries,” Kazi Rakibuddin said.
In the January 5 polls, voters in only 147 constituencies got the chance to vote as candidates in the other 153 seats were elected unopposed. As a result, more than half of the country’s 9.19 crore electorate did not get chance to vote.
The BNP-led 18-party alliance boycotted the election, as its demand for a non-party caretaker government to oversee the polls was not met.
The ruling AL won a three-fourths majority, and 127 of its candidates got elected unopposed. The election raised questions over the formation of a representative government.
