12:00 AM, December 31, 2018 / LAST MODIFIED: 03:53 AM, December 31, 2018
Snapshots of Polls Day
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An empty playground at the Nawabganj Pilot Girls High School polling centre in Dohar upazila. The photo was taken around 10:00am.
Photo: Sheikh Mehedi Morshed, Orchid Chakma, Prabir Das, Amran Hossain, Sk Enamul Haq
A presiding officer brings out the ballot papers for a voter who uses a wheelchair at Dania College centre in the capital's Jatrabari. Many people with disabilities faced difficulties casting votes as most of the centres were not disabled-friendly.
A police team outside a voting centre in Narayanganj.
Shamim Osman, AL's candidate for Narayanganj-4, sips a cup of tea while exchanging greetings with voters outside a polling centre in Dharmaganj area.
Two first-time voters show off their ink covered thumbs after voting at Avoy Bonodini High School in the capital's Rajarbagh.
Urdu-speaking voters make their way to a voting centre at Dhaka Residential Model College in the capital.
A crowd gathers outside the polling centre at Madhubagh Madrasa in the capital after the Awami League men shut the gate and refused to let anyone in.
Voters checking their phones for their voter numbers at Ali Ahmed Majumder School and College in Dhaka's Goran. Many were turned away after failing to find the number.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today called upon the Jatiya Oikyafront leaders elected in the 11th parliamentary election to take oath accepting people’s verdict.
“I still think that they (Oikyafront) would not dishonour the people’s verdict,” Quader made the call while addressing a press conference at AL President Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi political office in Dhaka this afternoon.
Claiming that BNP made a mistake by not taking part in the January 5, 2014 national election, Quader suggested the Oikyafront leaders not to recur the similar mistake by staying aside from the oath-taking.
BNP yesterday hinted that their leaders elected in the polls will not take oath as they have already rejected the results, alleging mass irregularities including ballot stuffing and ouster of their polling agents from voting centres.
However, Quader said, “This time, it is their (Oikyafront) own matter whether they are satisfied with the people’s verdict.” Quader said that their leaders have also won the election with the people’s mandates.
The Oikyafront yesterday in its formal reaction over the election announced that they would submit memorandum to the Election Commission on Thursday and announce next course of action programme to press home their demand.
Responding to a query in this regard, Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, said BNP does not have any preparation to wage a movement in the country.
“Did you (Journalist) see their (BNP leaders) faces yesterday how nerves and frustrated they were? They have lost their moral strength, how their workers can be rejuvenated by them?” he said.
Responding to a query over the government’s next challenges, he said the government’s main challenge is to implement the manifesto they placed before the election.
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Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sayeed Khokon today said all the temporary election camps set up during the 11th national polls will be removed within the quickest possible time.
The Mayor said this while inaugurating removal work of makeshift election camps at Segunbagicha in the city on Saturday.
Sayeed Khokon said that earlier instruction was given to remove all election-related posters, banners, and other campaign materials within next 48 hours. Most of them were removed by this time while some are still visible in differed areas of the city, he said.
"If you see any poster, banner or festoon on flyover or in any other place then you will inform us to keep the city clean," Khokon said.
"We want to remove all the temporary election camps so that people can walk freely on pavements and we can keep our city clean," he added.
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BNP candidate Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan has been elected in Brahmanbaria-2 following yesterday's re-polling in three centres of the constituency.
Sattar bagged 1,274 votes yesterday and won with a total of 83,997 votes.
His closest rival Moyeen Uddin, an independent, bagged a total of 75,419.
Sattar had already been leading the polls with 82,723 votes, said Election Commission officials.
The number of constituents under the centres was 10,572. Only 4,300 voted yesterday, said Returning Officer Hayat-Ud-Dwollah Khan as he announced the unofficial result.
There were a total 132 polling centres in Brahmanbaria-2.
Voting was suspended in three centres during the December 30 election due to violence. The centres are Jatrapur Government Primary School, Bahadurpur Government Primary School and Sohagpur Dakkhin Government Primary School.
Including this, eight lawmakers have been elected from the BNP-led Jatiya Oikyafront. The Awami League-led alliance won 288 seats.
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Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today said the process to form the new government is likely to be completed by January 10.
Obaidul Quader came up with the information while talking to reporters after placing wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in the city, marking Awami League's landslide victory in the 11th national elections.
He also said the gazette notification will be published within one to two days and then the newly elected members of parliament will be sworn in.
"After the oath taking, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will meet the President. Then, the President will request the Prime Minister to form the government," he added.
"It is the concern of the Election Commission. Everything will be done according to the constitution. If any candidate fails to take oath, the election commission will arrange necessary steps according to the constitution. A new schedule will be announced for a by-election to the constituency," he said while answering a question about Oikyafront's decision not to take the oath.
Quader said, "I still believe they (Oikyafront) will not disobey the verdict of the country's people. Earlier, they made a mistake by boycotting the 2014 election. Whether they are satisfied or dissatisfied, it's their party matter. But those who have been elected this time will not show disrespect to the people's verdict by not taking oath."
"Many democratic countries have started congratulating Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. If they do not participate in the democratic process, democracy will not be halted for them," he added.
Meanwhile, the senior Awami League urged the party's leaders, activists and supporters not to be revengeful to the opposition and behave carefully.
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Election Commission (EC) Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed today said the 11th parliamentary election held on Sunday will remain as a ‘bright example’ in national life.
“This is a huge event in the history of Bangladesh as the voting to the 11th parliamentary election took place in a very free, fair and peaceful environment under a political government,” he told reporters at the EC Secretariat here on the outcomes of the election.
He said many local and foreign observers have expressed their satisfaction over the voting.
Helal said the Awami League-led Grand Alliance gained a massive victory in this election to run the government for a straight three terms.
He also informed the media that so far the results to some 298 constituencies out of 300 have been announced since the election to three centres at Brahmanbaria-2 has been withheld. “There’ll be re-voting in these three centres.”
In Gaibandha-3 constituency polling was postponed as Dr ATM Fazle Rabbi of BNP-led 20-party alliance candidate died of old-age complications.
The EC Secretary extended gratitude to all the political parties, including Awami League, for taking part in this election amid festivity.
He said the Commission was taking preparations over the last one year to hold the election in a successful way and in this process they prepared voters list, completed delimitation of 300 constituencies, appointed the returning officers and assistant returning officers after announcement of the polls schedule, and held meetings with political parties.
Helal Uddin said about 15 lakh polling officials and members of law enforcement agencies were engaged to help hold the election in a free and fair manner with the participation of some 39 political parties and 1,846 candidates.
This election was a huge event in national life except some sporadic incidents as the EC has stopped polling at 22 centres for sporadic clashes and incidents out of the overall number of around 40,000 centres, he said quoting Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda as saying.
About the EVM use in voting, the EC Secretary said EVMs were used in six constituencies and there were curiosity, interest and anxiety over the use of these machines.
“But, we’ve been able to successfully use the EVMs…we’ll use EVMs in the upcoming elections. We will consider on how to get the results from these EVMs much earlier in the future,” he added.
Helal Uddin said the Commission is yet to calculate the overall percentage of votes casted in this election, adding their next big task will be to publish the gazette notification of the election results.
“Thus it will hand over it to the Speaker of Parliament for taking next steps and proceedings.”
The EC Secretary congratulated the Awami League for gaining the overwhelming victory side by side thanked the other political parties to cooperate with the EC for holding this election successfully.
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