Outgoing CEC, election commissioners tell PM they worked impartially

The outgoing election commissioners, led by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, has paid the farewell call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and said they worked ‘impartially’.

The five commissioners, who have worked in the constitutional body for as many years, met the prime minister at Parliament on Sunday.

The Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed the media about the meeting.

"We have worked impartially to keep the oath of office we had taken," Karim quoted Rakibuddin as saying.

Along with CEC Rakibuddin, Election Commissioners Muhammad Abdul Mobarak, Abu Hafiz, Zabed Ali, and Md Shah Nawaz, EC Secretary Muhammad Abdullah was also present.

Ahead of the end of this EC's tenure in mid-February, the process to form the new commission is under way. The new commission will oversee the 11th parliamentary elections scheduled to be held by January 2019.

The Kazi Rakibuddin commission supervised the 10th parliamentary elections in 2014. The BNP, which boycotted the polls, has termed the current EC as 'subservient to the government'.

The outgoing CEC told Hasina that his commission completed the 10th parliamentary election 'strongly' amidst violent opposition by the boycotting parties.

He also said the BNP took part in local government elections held under the current EC and thanked the commission after victories.

The BNP's view on the EC, however, did not change. Many political analysts also saw a lack of strength in the EC's activities, sometimes terming it ‘toothless tiger’.

Karim said Rakibuddin thanked Hasina for following rules and never influencing their activities.

After the 45-minute meeting, Karim said the prime minister thanked them for working with courage.

Election Commissioner Hafiz told bdnews24.com: "We also thanked her for helping us hold the elections."

The outgoing election commissioners will pay respect to the Liberation War martyrs at the National Memorial in Savar and meet President Md Abdul Hamid on Feb 7. The CEC and three other commissioners' tenure is ending on Feb 8 while the other end office on Feb 14.