Narayanganj City election raises observers' hope of violent vote reverse

Not a single of the 174 polling stations saw chaos or violence; voting was postponed nowhere; the candidates did not complain much in the final polls held under the current Election Commission.

After watching the Narayanganj City Corporation polls on Thursday, the election observers are saying this was a refreshing change from the recent trend of poorly managed elections overseen by the incumbent EC.

They also hope the latest balloting, which has broken the long line of polls violence, will play a role in changing the electoral culture.

Concerns were high over the election to Narayanganj City after violence and irregularities had marred the elections to the union councils, Upazilas, and municipalities.

Two-thirds of the polling stations were found to be vulnerable in the city that burst into the national spotlight in recent years following the sensational seven murders.   

But putting the concerns to bed, the voters went to the polling stations without anxiety. The candidates also did not bring allegations galore unlike in previous elections. 

The observers think all the five factors for free and fair elections worked together in this election supervised by the Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad-led EC, which has been criticised over past five years for its failure to stop polls violence and disorder.

The five factors are the candidates, political parties, the voters, law-enforcing agencies, and the government's cooperation.

When the counting of votes was under way, Chief Election Commissioner Ahmad, too, said the voting was peaceful because of the cooperation of all of those related to the voting.

Narayanganj Returning Officer Nuruzzaman Talukder said every step necessary for free and fair election was taken.

The EC had taken a vow to present a 'remarkable' vote by taking this election as a challenge, he said.

Abdul Alim, a director of Election Working Group (EWG), a union of the election observers' organisations, said the Narayanganj City vote was the transformation from the recent examples of bad elections to the instance of a good election.   

"It's a U-turn. It will be a good example and have positive impact on everything," he told bdnews24.com.

All the factors needed for fair polls were there in Narayanganj this time, Alim thinks.

"There have been two candidates with good image, clean campaign. The candidates’ and the voters' unwillingness to violate rules, the huge presence of law-enforcing agencies, good steps by the EC in the final leg of its tenure, tolerance among the political parties, he government's collaboration, and the local MP's decision to follow electoral code of conduct were all visible," he said.

The ruling Awami League's mayor candidate Selina Hayat Ivy and her main rival BNP's Sakhawat Hossain Khan are both vocal against terrorism.

They did not launch [personal attacks on each other during the campaign.

EWG Director Alim said, "The two main parties this time picked good candidates, who were not much criticised by the voters. And there was no personal malice, which allowed the voters to have a good election."

The government may have rejected the BNP's demand for army deployment during the elections, but 9,500 members of the law-enforcing agencies, including paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh, were mobilised in the port city of 475,000 voters.

"We've seen that the vote is not solely the EC’s thing. All the factors worked together and its success can be put down to the coordinated activities of all the organs. Now everyone will agree that good elections are possible if the EC, the government and the candidates work together," Alim said.

National Election Observation Council (Janipop) Chairman Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah told bdnews24.comthat the fair Narayanganj election has proved that it is possible to hold polls taking all the stakeholders on board and with everyone's cooperation.

Kalimullah, too, said all the factors need to have a fair vote were at play in Narayanganj, which is exemplary.

He also thinks this election in the current political environment and at the twilight of the current EC’s reign will create confidence among the election stakeholders and everyone else.

Besides being criticised for failure to stop violence and disorder, the incumbent EC had often been termed 'a puppet of the government'.

Kazi Rakibuddin's EC runs its term in February. The president is holding talks with the political parties on forming the next EC, which will oversee the next parliamentary elections.