Campaign materials visible in city even after deadline

Various election campaign materials, including posters, banners, graffiti and festoons, are still visible at different places across Dhaka city even a day after the deadline to remove them.

On November 8, Election Commission (EC) directed all political parties to remove the campaign materials by November 15, as the 11th parliamentary election is scheduled for December 30. EC later extended the deadline by three days to November 18.

The FE correspondents on Monday visited different areas, including Mohammadpur, Shyamoli, Farmgate, Segunbagicha, Purana Paltan, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and Banglamotor etc, and found the campaign materials were still in place there.

Most of the campaign materials put up and pasted in the areas are in the name of the ruling Awami League (AL) hopefuls and their well-wishers.

The rest of the materials still on display belong to hopefuls of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party and some other political parties.

The top leaders of ruling AL and its opposition BNP have already reiterated their commitments to obey the rules of EC. They are also blaming each other for violation of codes of conduct of the national election.

EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed told the FE that EC asked the political parties to remove the campaign materials at their own expense.

Now that campaigners did not follow the instruction, they will face legal actions, including fines. EC will launch mobile court drives to this end across the country, he further said.

However, candidatures will not be cancelled due to this reason, he added.

Meanwhile, both Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation launched drives in the capital on Monday for removing the campaign materials.

When contacted, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman told the FE that some non-compliance of the electoral rules is nothing new in the country.

"However, it is worrying that the non-compliance is rapidly becoming normal electoral behaviour by the parties and candidates as well as by the electoral authorities, especially EC."

The parties and candidates are showing signs of ruthless rule-breaking. But EC is reaffirming its indifference about lawlessness to such an extent that the electoral rules are becoming just a few pieces of words of a paper tiger called EC.

He also noticed that such non-compliance centring the general election can be avoided, if the law-enforcement agencies and EC perform their jobs accordingly.

Election expert Dr Tofail Ahmed told the FE: "EC should take legal actions against those who have not put down posters, banners and other materials by violating EC's directions. Only then EC's directions can be realistic".

"EC should do what it says. Otherwise these warnings and initiatives will be meaningless," he added.

The officer in-charge of Ramna Police Station told the FE that putting down political festoons, banners and other campaign materials is the task of EC.

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