CEC claims fair vote in 97% centres

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has made no attempt to hide his disappointment that all the parties did not contest Sunday’s general elections.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 5 Jan 2014, 11:39 PM
Updated : 6 Jan 2014, 12:23 PM

He, however, claims that fair elections have been held at 97 percent of the polling centres.

At least 21 people have died in clashes and police action during the polls held in 147 seats in 59 districts on Sunday amid the Opposition alliance’s boycott and efforts to thwart it.

Voting was suspended at around 540 polling centres due to violence.

Re-polls will be held in those centres as and when the Election Commission decides to have them.

The Chief Election Commissioner, however, could not inform the media about the voter turnout and the exact number of polling centres where polls were suspended.

He said the 'full information' was not available until the wee hours of Monday.

“Violence hit quite a number of polling stations. Information on those centres is coming in. We can however say that fair polls have been held in 97 percent of the centres.”

Though Awami League has expressed satisfaction with the polls, Opposition BNP-led 18-Party alliance called it a 'farce'.

Voters line up for casting their vote at the Model School voting centre in Gopalganj district town

The Opposition alliance has called a 48-hour shutdown demanding cancellation of the polls. They are claiming that people have rejected Sunday’s polls.
Election Commissioner Abu Hafiz earlier said they will be happy if over 40 percent votes are cast in the elections.
“We will be happy if voter turnout crosses 40 percent. That is the usual turnout in Great Britain. It is considered the standard over there.”
Election Commission Secretary Mohammad Sadiq said voting had to be stopped at 540 polling centres out of 18,000 -- roughly three percent of the total number of polling centres.
Re-polls will not be held in a seat if the margin of votes between the winner and his nearest rival does not exceed the number of voters listed in the centres where polling was suspended, he said.
At least 21 persons died in poll violence and more than 100 polling centres were set on fire in the rundown to the polls and on election-day.

Voting at Gaibandha's Palashbari Town Hall polling centre was postponed following bomb blasts

Yet Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin commended the security forces and police on a job well done.
"They worked the way the Election Commission wanted."
He avoided reacting before the polls, but after the election was over, he regretted that all the parties had not joined the polls.
“It would have been better if all parties had joined the polls. We also wanted it and waited for that to happen,” he said while briefing the media about the polls.
“We thought the distance between two major political alliances would come down and they would strike a deal. But that did not happen in the end.”
“We had to work within the confines of the Constitution. We have tried our best in this election.”
“Elections could have been much better if all had participated,” said the CEC, sounding somewhat upset.
Though the BNP dubbed the Election Commission as ‘spineless’, the Commission claims it had proved its neutrality and acceptability in the City Corporation polls where most of the BNP-backed candidates had won.