The Election Commission’s intentions regarding the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are unclear, rights organization Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) said on Sunday.
“The EC lost people’s faith when it decided to use EVMs in 150 constituencies,” Shujan General Secretary Badiul Alam said at a discussion on the use of EVMs at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
He said that the EC disregarded the reservations of eminent citizens, political parties and the media of the country regarding transparency in using EVMs.
“We are still unclear what their intentions are,” he said.
“The Election Commission says that there is no scope for rigging while using EVMs. It’s their duty to ensure that the machines are completely flawless,” he added.
“Even though outsiders have no control of the EVMs, the EC and its officials do,” he said, hinting at distrust in the system.
Badiul said that the EC is a constitutionally independent body and it has been formed so that it can work for the people impartially.
Technology expert Foyez Ahmed Taiyeb, who took part in the discussion said: “Even though other attributes of the EVMs are digital, calculating the outcome is not.”
He added that since the outcome is calculated manually there remains scope for vote rigging.
“The commission is capable of carrying out polls through EVMs in 70-75 constituencies. During an economic crisis, there is no logic behind spending dollars on new EVMs,” he said.
Foyez added that using machines is not time-befitting due to existing issues in the NID and biometric registration which will not be sorted within a year.