The Election Commission (EC) has directed the Public Administration Ministry to declare December 30 as a general holiday for the 11th parliamentary elections.
A letter signed by the EC Joint Secretary Farhad Ahmmed Khan was sent to the Public Administration secretary in this regard today.
"The 11th parliamentary elections will be held on December 30. So, it's necessary to declare the day as a general holiday," the letter reads.
Just days ahead of the 11th national elections, Election Commissioner Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury today said “situation is under control”.
He came up with the remark in response to a query by reporters at the Election Commission in Dhaka’s Agargaon this afternoon.
Shahadat’s comment comes a day after Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar expressed grave concern over the ongoing spate of violence ahead of the polls scheduled to be held on December 30.
Hoping for a free, fair and peaceful election, Shahadat said, “I admit that anxiety grew among people centering the election. I want to term it political heat”.
He said he did not think that the situation was deteriorating ahead of the polls.
Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukder expressed grave concern over the recent incidents of violence.
Saying that violence and election cannot go hand in hand, he added,“If we cannot hold a peaceful election in a violence-free environment after 47 years of independence, the sacrifice of 30 lakh martyrs for independence and democracy will go in vain. We cannot allow this to happen.”
Jatiya Oikyafront Convener Dr Kamal Hossain has urged people to bring about a "vote revolution" by exercising franchise, and said December 30 will be another victory day for the nation with the Oikyafront coming out victorious.
"We won in the past, and we will win this time too. December 30 will be another victory day. You will bring about a vote revolution on that day," he said at a press conference yesterday.
The eminent jurist made the call after attending an emergency meeting of the steering committee of the opposition alliance at his chamber in the capital's Purana Paltan.
Calling upon the voters to cast ballots for “sheaf of paddy”, he said, “The symbol does not belong to any party. It stands as a symbol of unity. Cast your votes for this symbol to free the nation.”
He further said the Oikyafront's win in the polls will be a victory for the people, not for any component of the alliance.
"People's ownership of the country will be restored through the vote revolution.”
The people of this country never bowed down to arms, money and power, he said.
"There is nothing to fear. We fought autocrats throughout our life, and we won, not the autocrats. Had the autocrats won, there would have been no '71 and no Bangladesh," observed Dr Kamal, also president of the Gonoforum.
Urging the voters to go to polling centres in groups early in the morning, he said, "You will be able to enjoy freedom if you cast ballots for sheaf of paddy."
If the Oikyafront is voted to power, the administration would work for the people, instead of protecting the interests of any party, he pledged.
Speaking at the press conference, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “The government has already suffered a moral defeat as it is trying to ensure victory by using the state machinery.”
Krishak Sramik Janata League President Kader Siddiqui, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury, and Gonoforum Executive President Subrata Chowdhury, among others, were present at the press conference.
Earlier in a written statement to the media, the Oikyafront convener said the election was just two days away, but the level playing field was still absent.
The people expected that the situation would change following deployment of the army, Dr Kamal mentioned.
"But the army's role in the election is totally controlled by the Election Commission," he said, adding that it is difficult to expect an effective role of the army in a "controlled election".
"Yet, we hope the people, who are the owner of the country, will be able to exercise the right to vote in a peaceful environment. The Election Commission has to ensure that."
Otherwise, the EC will have to take full responsibility for all its failures and will be held accountable to the people, warned Dr Kamal.
He further said it seems that the public and the police administration as well as the state machinery unilaterally got engaged in destroying effective democracy in the country by taking the chance of "the EC's bias".
"We should not forget that destroying democracy is tantamount to denying Bangladesh's existence and the constitution."
The Oikyafront convener said there is a “tide of the masses” in favour of “sheaf of paddy” despite numerous obstructions, arrests, attacks, filing of cases, arson, bombing, biased behaviour of the administration, inactiveness of the EC, ghost cases and intimidation.
"Today, the people and the voters are the Oikyafront's main hope. Those, who did not make mistakes in the past, will not make mistakes this time as well."
The people consider voting as a festival, but they were deprived of it after the ninth parliamentary polls, he said.
"We hope that the people, who are now united, will thwart any anti-people blueprint of the government and the Election Commission."
He urged the people to vote for their preferred candidates to ensure their ownership of the country and restore democracy.
"The country achieved independence in 1971 because the people were united. If the people remain united, effective democracy and the rule of law will soon be ensured," he remarked.
Bangladesh Bank has suspended all kind of mobile-based financial services (MFS) for temporary basis ahead of the December 30 national election.
All MFS providers have been asked to keep mobile-based financial services suspended from 5:00pm on December 28 to 5:00pm on December 30, the central bank said in a circular today.
However, MFS can allow the individual transaction through mobile account at limited scale up to Tk 5,000 from 5:00pm on December 29 to 5:00pm on December 30, according to the circular.
The decision was taken following the instruction given by the Election Commission, said the circular.
In an unprecedented move, the Election Commission (EC) has sent a letter to the home ministry, asking that political parties be stopped from holding rallies and other public events that may obstruct the election process and discourage people from casting their votes. The commission has suggested that the measures be in place from December 18, 2023 to January 7, 2024. We are at a loss to understand on what grounds the EC can make such a demand of the government.
To begin, the right to assemble and participate in public meetings is a fundamental human right, enshrined in the constitution. As long as demonstrations are peaceful and law-abiding, what justification can there be for a blanket ban on all political gatherings in a country that still calls itself a democracy? If the EC is concerned with unruly or unlawful behaviour, the law enforcement authorities are there to intervene and bring things under control. In fact, over the past few months, we have seen them take increasingly high-handed measures during gatherings and demonstrations against BNP and like-minded parties. At a time when the EC should be ensuring that the government allows all political parties to carry out their activities peacefully and without fear of arrests or unwarranted obstructions, we are disappointed to see them take a diametrically opposite stance.
If the EC is really concerned about voter turnout, then it ought to ask itself whether the election that it is so ceremoniously organising, spending Tk 1,600 crore of public funds, will actually inspire confidence in voters to exercise their voting rights in the absence of the biggest opposition party, its allies, and left-leaning political parties. Having failed to ensure a level playing field since its term began, or bring together the major parities in a meaningful dialogue, the EC now wants to ban all political demonstrations altogether in a move that is tantamount to cutting the head off to get rid of a headache.
We should not have to remind the EC that an election is about the people's right to choose their own representatives. If citizens are unhappy with the electoral process and feel that their right to vote is being violated, then surely, citizens also have the right to express this dissatisfaction. If the EC is truly concerned about voter turnout, then it's time for it to do some serious soul-searching. Instead of addressing the underlying issues that are likely to deter voters from participating in the upcoming election, banning political gatherings altogether will only raise further questions about the EC's independence from the government and erode people's confidence in it.
A new election commission has been formed, headed by former secretary the Ministry of Health and Family Planning AMM Nasir Uddin.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin also appointed four commissioners — retired additional secretary Anwarul Islam Sarkar, retired district and sessions judge Abdur Rahmanel Masud, retired joint secretary Begum Tahmida Ahmed, and Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah.
The Cabinet Division has issued a gazette notification in this regard.
On October 29, the interim government formed a six-member search committee to recommend the names of the new chief election Commissioner (CEC) and other commissioners to the president for appointment.
Nasir was also former information and energy secretary and member of Planning Commission.
BNP and several others parties proposed Nasir and former secretary Shafiqul Islam as the CEC to the search committee.
On September 5, the immediate past Election Commission, led by Kazi Habibul Awal, resigned midway through its five-year tenure. This commission had been sworn in on February 27, 2022.
They resigned one month after Awami League government was ousted on August 5 following a student-led uprising.
The EC has been vacant for more than two and half months, the longest period of vacancy in the history of Bangladesh.
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