Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar today said those who do not believe in democracy want to make an election questionable and taint the festivity of voting.

He said this while addressing the inaugural session of a training programme at Electoral Training Institute (ETI) in Dhaka’s Agargaon.

It is not possible to hold a free, fair, credible and acceptable election by destroying the sanctity of votes, he said.

“Vote” is the symbol of the sovereignty of the people of an independent country, he said adding, “Through casting ballots, people get the opportunity to select their representatives and the aspirations of the people are reflected through the process, which we call elections.”

Terming vote the only way to establish democracy, EC Mahbub said, “If voting is not properly ensured, democracy loses its grace.”

“Vote, despite being a ‘little’ word, has a broader implication. Two other words—election and democracy—are also interrelated with it,” he said.

“If we elucidate the word (vote), inevitably the word independence comes to our mind. Independence, democracy and election have set the background of vote,” the EC also said.

Only through their voting right, people take part in the state power, which can be either at the national or regional level, he went on saying.

Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed was also present at the programme.