Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said that they are closely monitoring the electoral environment in preparation for the 12th National Parliamentary election.
Action will be taken if the behaviour of returning officers or officers involved in polling is biased, he told reporters in front of his office at the Election Commission in Dhaka on Monday.
CEC Awal revealed that the government recently removed an official in response to a request from the cabinet secretary to withdraw the deputy commissioner of Jamalpur. Additionally, all deputy commissioners have been placed on alert in the interest of ensuring a fair election, building trust in the Election Commission, and maintaining government credibility.
He said: "We will continue to monitor the voting environment and strive to prevent any deputy commissioner's behaviour from reflecting bias. If anyone exhibits biased behaviour, the commission will take decisive action."
Addressing the practice of sending letters to the cabinet department before the schedule is announced, CEC Awal clarified that there is no impediment to such communication.
He stressed that the commission has authority and, while specifics come into play after the schedule is released, any pre-schedule issues that may raise doubts about the election's credibility, government and EC confidence, and the impartiality of election conduct must be brought to the government's attention by the EC.
The 12th parliamentary election is slated for the final week of December this year or the initial week of January next year, with the schedule expected to be announced in November.
