Voting will be suspended nationwide in case of irregularities: CEC

If the irregularities in the 12th national election cannot be effectively addressed, polling will be stopped across the country, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal said today.

The Election Commission organised a workshop titled "12th Jatiya Sangsad Elections: Role of Mass Media" at the conference room of Election Bhaban on Thursday (26 October). 

At the workshop, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, editor of The Daily Observer, questioned the CEC, "You instructed the presiding officer to halt the voting in case of irregularities. What measures would you take if the entire national election process is flawed?"

In response, Kazi Habibul Awal said, "In such a scenario, I would have no choice but to suspend the election process across the entire country. Subsequently, new elections would be organised. We have to take this measure [if required]."

In July, the 'Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2023' was passed in with the key amendment authorising the Election Commission to postpone or cancel results or voting of one or more polling stations in any number of constituencies on polling day, but not the entire election to a constituency.

Emphasising the RPO amendment, the CEC said, "Take note of the significant provision we have introduced here. The presiding officer holds a pivotal role as the head of their respective polling centre. In case I need to intervene, I will duly inform the presiding officer, who used to be my superior at that time."

In his concluding speech at the workshop, Habibul Awal said, "We have instructed the presiding officers to diligently monitor the fairness of the election. If irregularities emerge, they should make efforts to address the issues causing them. If the issues persist, the presiding officer should promptly inform both the police and the magistrate. 

"In such a case, the police and the magistrate will provide assistance. If the situation still does not improve after their intervention, the presiding officer should stop voting at the station."

The CEC further said, "We advocate for an election that upholds democratic principles, free from any undue influence. It should ensure that voters have the opportunity to freely exercise their right to vote."

Speaking at the event, Election Commissioner Begum Rashida Sultana said, "Election Commission is trying to gain confidence. We are working with sincerity."

"We still hope for participatory elections," Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) Ahsan Habib Khan said.

Along with CEC, other election commissioners, senior officials of EC, Mahfuz Anam, editor of The Daily Star; Naeem Nizam, editor of Bangladesh Pratidin; Saiful Alam, editor of Dainik Jugantar among others participated in the workshop.