EC observers find no irregularities

The Election Commission's (EC) own observers have found no irregularities in the last week's Dhaka and Chittagong city corporation polls.

“Most of them [observers] have submitted their reports claiming that elections were held in a fair and peaceful manner apart from some stray incidents,” a senior assistant secretary of the EC told The Daily Star yesterday, seeking anonymity.

“We are compiling the reports and those will be placed before the election commissioners,” the official added.

However, the April 28 elections witnessed numerous irregularities, ballot boxes stuffing and harassment of journalists, according to media reports.

Prior to the polls, the EC had deployed 45 upazila- and thana-level election officers as observers to “intensively” monitor electoral atmosphere at every ward in the three cities.

The EC had directed its officials to stay in their electoral areas before and after the election day to monitor the situation. It also asked the officials to submit reports to the returning officers and the EC within 24 hours after voting concluded.

“I have found neither any irregularity nor any unpleasant incident where I discharged duties,” said SM Habibur Rahman, election officer of Moralganj upazila in Bagerhat, who worked as an observer in ward 2 and 3 of Dhaka North City Corporation.

“Whenever I heard any news of irregularity or vote rigging from any polling centre, I rushed there. But I found no anomaly,” said Shakhawat Hossain, election officer of Chatmohor upazila in Pabna.

“So I have to submit my report mentioning that the election was held in a fair and peaceful manner,” said Shakhawat, who worked at ward 13, 19 and 20 of Dhaka South City Corporation.

Regarding the reports, Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz said, “We will look into the reports of our officials. If any irregularity or negligence in duties of any polling official is found, we will surely take action.”

Meanwhile, terming the April 28 election “farcical” and “illegal”, BNP-backed mayoral candidates for Dhaka north and Dhaka south Tabith Awal and Mirza Abbas yesterday once again demanded re-polling.

Besides, over a dozen losing councillor aspirants demanded recounting of votes.

Contacted, EC Secretary Sirazul Islam said, “As the election results have been published in official gazettes, the aggrieved persons must go to election tribunal to file complaints. The commission has nothing to do now.”

Under the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009, the EC has constituted two tribunals, one in Dhaka and another in Chittagong, for disposal of polls-related petitions.

Besides, the EC has also set up three Appellate Tribunals, one each for the three city corporations, for filing appeals against the electoral tribunal's verdict.