Test for Election Commission and government as Dhaka goes to polls Saturday

All eyes will be on Dhaka on Saturday as the capital with over 5 million voters is going to elect mayors and councillors of its two city corporations following weeks of vigorous campaign without major violence.

The vote is seen as another battle between ‘Boat’ and ‘Paddy Sheaf’ – electoral symbols of the two main political camps - just a little over a year after the parliamentary polls.

An election observer also sees the Dhaka city polls as a test on acceptability of e-voting, the government’s popularity a year into its third consecutive term and the ability of the Election Commission that was pulled into question after the last general election.

“This is an inclusive election a year after the general election. So the results may send a message,” said Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, the chairman of National Election Observation Council or Janipop.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda urged the voters to turn up to cast their ballots from 8am to 4pm, assuring them of their safety at 2,468 polling stations, more than half of which have been marked vulnerable to violence.

He has also called on the opposition to eschew the “political culture of distrust” in the EC, which he claims has never been biased.

The political parties have also grown a mindset of blame game centring elections, Kalimullah said.

“It’s natural in the politics of vote. But the atmosphere overall was good on the eve of voting. Highly satisfactory!” he said.

The ruling Awami League is also pleased with the atmosphere and promised it would not interfere in the EC’s work.

“We hope the people will exercise their right to vote in a festive mood,” said Mahbub-Ul Alam Hanif, a joint general secretary of the Awami League.

He alleged the BNP was out to throw the polls into question by carrying out acts of violence.

The opposition BNP has spoken of its fears of rigging through electronic voting machines or EVMs and use of violence or threats to prevent its supporters from voting.

“The government is trying to control the entire election,” Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, noting that the Awami League was planning to “guard” the polling stations. 

“We believe the people of Dhaka will vote ‘Paddy Sheaf’ to victory if they are allowed to cast their ballots,” he added.

Mirpur's 60 Feet Road is awash with campaign posters ahead of the Dhaka city elections. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

FOUR TESTS

Kalimullah said he saw the election as tests of four subjects in a broad sense.

These are – the acceptability of widespread use of EVMs, popularity of the ruling party in the vote along party lines a year after the general election, the EC’s role in ensuring an atmosphere conducive to voting and how skilful the government is to maintain law and order during ballot.

“EVM has passed the technical test. It has been used in more than one city corporation polls. Now let’s see how much voters turn out in Dhaka. It also depends on the candidates. They will draw voters to the polling stations if they want to win,” he said.

The inclusive election will also be test both the Awami League and the BNP.

“It would not be right to hold the outcome in the capital to gauge popularity up and down the country. But the political parties must analyse the message the voters will send to them in the local government polls a year after the parliamentary elections,” he said.

It will be the EC that will have to take the test of keeping peace on the election day, Kalimullah said.

“It must implement its pledges for the vote,” he said.

“And the ruling party’s role is also important. It’s a matter of their skills,” he added.

Digital ballots are on display during a demonstration of EVMs organised by the Election Commission at the Government Dhaka Badhir High School at Bijoynagar on Tuesday. Photo: Mahmud Zaman Ovi

EVM CHALLENGE

The elections will be held exclusively through EVMs for the first time in Dhaka.

Muhammed Sohul Hussain, a former election commissioner during whose tenure EVMs were launched, said “huge efforts” should be made to get the voters to fell comfortable about the machines.

“EVMs will be easily acceptable once the voters get used to these,” he said.

Md Abu Hafiz, who was a commissioner when the use of EVMs faded into the background, said, “Everyone must move over to modern technology. EVMs may have less popularity now, but there will be a time when it will be accepted by all.”

Rafiqul Islam, an incumbent election commissioner, is not ready to see the use of EVM as a challenge. He does not see any complexities in the use of the machines either.

“There can be accidents in use of technology. Even lunar missions face accidents in the last moment,” he said.

“If a glitch is detected at any centre, there will be alternatives,” he added.

OBSERVERS

The role of international election observers added to the heat of the Dhaka city polls in past two days with the Awami League raising questions.

The government asked the diplomatic missions in Dhaka not to field Bangladeshi staff members as foreign observers.

The EC has approved the participation of 74 foreign observers working in 10 foreign missions in the city elections. Among them, 28 are Bangladesh citizens, which is a breach of the related guidelines.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said he believed diplomatic missions have flouted electoral guidelines by registering their Bangladeshi staff members in Dhaka as international observers.

Despite the 'unfortunate' mistake by the embassies, Momen hoped that the election authority will step in and bar their entry into polling stations.

Clockwise from top left: Atiqul Islam, Tabith Awal, Ishraque Hossain and Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh

CANDIDATES

All the mayor candidates – six in Dhaka North City Corporation and seven in the South – have been nominated by registered political parties and are therefore contesting in the elections with their party logos.

In total, 745 candidates are running for the 172 posts of general ward councillor and councillor of wards reserved for women with the support of the political parties or independently, but not with party symbols.

Atiqul Islam, a businessman, is seeking re-election as the Awami League’s mayor in the North after a nine-month stint in the office following the death of Annisul Huq, the first mayor of the city corporation after the bifurcation.

His rival the BNP’s Tabith Awal is also a businessman-cum-politician. He had announced boycott halfway through voting in the 2015 elections alleging widespread irregularities, but this time he has vowed to battle it out until the end.

The other mayoral candidates in the North are Ahammed Sajjadul Haque from the Communist Party of Bangladesh with the symbol ‘Sickle', Shahin Khan from Progressive Democratic Party or PDP with the 'Tiger' symbol, Sheikh Md Fazle Bari Masud from the Islami Andolon Bangladesh with the ‘Winnowing-fan' symbol, and Md Anisur Rahman Dewan from the National People’s Party with the 'Mango' symbol.

In the South, both the Awami League’s Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and the BNP’s Ishraque Hossain are new faces in the race.

Son of Fazlul Haque Mani, one of the key organisers of the Liberation War, Taposh is a lawyer and former MP.

Ishraque’s father late Sadeque Hossain Khoka was the last mayor of the undivided Dhaka City Corporation.

The commission has assigned the 'Plough' symbol to the Jatiya Party's Mohammed Saifuddin Milon, the 'Winnowing-fan' to the Islami Andolon's Md Abdur Rahman, the 'Mango' symbol to Bahrane Sultan Bahar, 'Coconut' to Md Akhtaruzzaman and 'Fish' to Abdus Samad from the Gonofront.