The conduct of upcoming elections may not be perfect, but the Election Commission will try its best to make them fair and participatory, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal has said.
He also said there was bound to be some disagreement over the holding of elections during dialogues with various sections of society.
The CEC made the remarks after a dialogue with several educationists of the country at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka on Sunday. The dialogue is the first in a series of talks between the Election Commission and representatives of various professions in order to prepare a roadmap for the 12 general election.
During the dialogue, the academics stressed the need to hold inclusive elections to implement democracy.
Addressing reporters after the talks, the CEC said: “Arranging a perfect election is difficult not just in Bangladesh, but also in other countries.”
When asked about suggestions of educationalists that may be considered, he said: “We will try to increase the capacity of the commission and hold free and fair elections with the suggestions of everyone.”
He urged everyone to cooperate with the commission to ensure participatory elections and thanked the academics for their input.
Eminent educationist Prof Muhammed Zafar Iqbal said: “In order to institutionalize democracy, inclusive elections have to be held. Everyone must participate in the election. We have advised that the Commission hold participatory elections on the basis of consensus.”
He added that the commission had asked the academics to raise awareness of elections and the electoral process through their writing.
Prof Zafar Iqbal further said ensuring democracy would be a slow and gradual process.
Mentioning there is still enough time to make electronic voting machines (EVMs) fruitful, he said the commission should improve the public’s trust in the machines with the help of technicians.
Prof Sadeka Halim also suggested transparent, accountable and participatory elections, highlighting that women’s participation in recent elections was around 33%.
She urged law enforcement agencies to perform their duties to ensure that elections are violence free, and that any victims receive legal assistance.
