CEC Nasir hopes no one will resort to foul play in February polls

The chief election commissioner believes all troubles will cool down before the parliamentary election

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has said the commission is awaiting the February election per the existing Constitution and the Representation of the People Order (RPO).

He made the remarks while talking to journalists on Thursday, amidst the ongoing debate about the Proportional Representation (PR) voting system.

Final preparations are ongoing in full swing for the election before Ramadan, and the schedule will be announced two months before the voting day, he said, expecting that no one will enter this election with the intention of foul play.

The CEC added that disturbances like this had occurred before the 1991, 1996, and 2008 elections.

He said that this time too, everything will calm down when the election time arrives.

The Election Commission (EC) will use its full force to create equal opportunities for everyone, he added.

During the discussion at the EC headquarters in the afternoon, the CEC spoke on several issues, including his experience in Canada, the controversy over the Shapla symbol, the invitation to Jatiya Party for dialogue, the PR system, postal vote, new party registration, the electoral environment, and the EC's election preparations.

Recounting his two-week-long visit to Canada, Nasir said he spoke with many expatriate Bangladeshis who urged him to restore confidence in the EC, noting that they were “very satisfied”.

Although EC officials can hold discussions with migrant Bangladeshis in multiple countries, there was also a call for a joint discussion with expatriates in the Middle East.

“While it is simpler in the US, Japan, and Canada, campaigns are difficult to conduct by gathering people together in the Middle East for various reasons.”

The experience gained from the Canada visit will be used to quickly resolve these issues, he said.