Fair polls not possible without political will of govt : CEC

The hostility among the political parties is quite evident and it is very difficult to move forward, said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal today.

He said if there is a political consensus among the parties, the election can be free and fair.

He said they try to do as much as possible, but do not have infinite power. Without the political will of the state and the government, the EC alone cannot hold a free, fair, and neutral election. For this, the will of political parties is also needed.

The CEC made the remarks while talking to reporters after a meeting with a delegation of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) led by its Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman.

After the meeting, Habibul said they had a discussion on the entire electoral system.

"They [TIB] said the parliamentary elections were fair but not participatory. They also informed that there was an absence of democratic spirit with which a participatory election is held," he said.

The CEC said the work of the EC is to make the election free and fair. The election commissioners said the problem was largely political and if the political problems are not resolved, the electoral system will not be stable.

After the meeting, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said, "There is no possibility of going back to the 2008 election system. Because the constitution does not allow it now. People will welcome it if we can return to a neutral election-time government system."

As an alternative, those who will be in the government during the election, will have to be obliged to perform their duties neutrally and free from conflict of interest, he added.

Iftekharuzzaman said political parties have to play a role in this regard. If they think that they will hold elections only to retain power or to go to power, then a fair election will not be possible.

He said they have recommended reshaping the electoral system and the CEC agreed with them.