Advisor Touhid says government ready to hold ‘proper’ election despite concerns

The government is constantly trying to ensure nothing gets out of hand, he says

Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain has said the government is ready to hold a “proper” election despite concerns about violence.

Speaking at an event on election reporting on Sunday, he said the government was "trying to solve" the concerns over potential election-time violence.

“Such concerns arise before every election, and it is no different this time. We are constantly working to ensure nothing gets out of hand,” he said.

Responding to a question about the concerns expressed in a letter sent by two US Congress members, Touhid said: “I have already told you that no election has ever been completely peaceful.”

The US Congress members described the electoral environment as “fragile and unstable".

Touhid said he believed the 1991 election was peaceful, but that was not the case.

Touhid did not consider the "No Boat, No Vote" campaign run by Awami League leaders an obstacle to the parliamentary polls, as other major parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), are campaigning in favour of the "Yes" vote in the referendum.

He said people will mostly vote according to their preferred party’s position rather than reading the four referendum topics.

“Some people may not vote, and that always happens,” he added, expressing his belief that voter turnout this time will be higher than in the 1991 election, when the turnout rate was 55 percent.

Diplomats discussing Bangladesh elections has become a tradition, he said, adding that even society expects to hear their views on the elections.

UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stefan Liller stressed the role journalists can play in ensuring a credible election.