Nation goes to polls today

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FE Report
The nation goes to polls today (Monday). More than 80 million "digitally-photographed" voters-of them an estimated 20 million are first timers-will exercise their voting rights to elect the ninth Jatiya Sangshad (JS) or parliament.
The country has been under a prolonged caretaker government, composed mainly of technocrats and a state of emergency since January, 11, 2007.
The state of emergency was lifted on September 17, 2008 to facilitate holding of the elections in a free and fair manner. The army-backed caretaker government, headed by Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, that took executive power from President Prof Iajuddin Ahmed, who was also the chief of the caretaker government for a brief period of about two and a half months following the dissolution of the eighth parliament.
The President proclaimed the state of emergency in the wake of the decision of a 22-party grand alliance to boycott the parliamentary elections, scheduled for January 22, 2006 in protest against alleged scheme to rig the polls.
The number of candidates vying for today's electoral race totals 1,555-of them 263 belong to Awami League (AL) while 259 are affiliated with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
In addition, 48 candidates are of Jatiya Party (JP), 38 of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat), four of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), three of Workers Party (WP), four of Islami Oikyo Jote (IOJ), and two of Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP).
The AL chief, Sheikh Hasina, heads a grand alliance of parties and the BNP chief, Khaleda Zia, is the chief of the four-party alliance that was in power between 2001 and 2006.
The JP, headed by former president HM Ershad, JSD with Hasanul Huq Inu as the chief and the WP of which Mr Rashed Khan Menon is the president are in Sheikh Hasina's grand alliance. Jamaat, IOJ and BJP are members of Khaleda-led four party alliance.
The caretaker government is expected to spend a record Tk 2.5 billion for the election-related expenditure, but finance ministry officials said the cost could exceed the original estimates. Earlier, an amount of Tk 4.5 billion was spent for preparation of voters list, along with a digitally-photographed national identity cards.
The election expenses of an individual candidate for electioneering have been capped at Tk 1.5 million by the EC. But many observers of the election campaign have alleged that the "wealthy" candidates in several constituencies have allegedly spent much more than the EC stipulated amount.
A rough reckoning suggests that election expenses, in aggregates by all the contestants, will run above Tk 7.0 billion, at the least. However, this estimate is an unconfirmed, unofficial one.
But economists and political analysts have said the incoming ruling party, regardless of whichever comes to power, will be facing formidable economic challenges, amid increasing risks of global recession.
The next government, according to political observers, will also have opportunities to consolidate democracy, and improve governance.
BNP and AL -- the country's two major political parties -- have alternated in power since 1991, the year Bangladesh saw a return to democracy after a prolonged authoritarian rule.
Both the two main parties have nominated a good number of candidates, having business as the profession.
Despite having charged with corruption, a total of 48 candidates including 27 from BNP and 17 from Awami League are contesting the ninth parliamentary polls from different constituencies, according to a survey by a non-government campaign group.
In the same survey, the group has found, at least 100 candidates affiliated with either AL or BNP are facing murder cases and two of them are already awarded life imprisonment.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) said around one-third of the individuals seeking to contest in Jatiya Sangsad election do not have any taxpayer identification numbers (TINs).
On the security front, some 50,000 troops have been deployed across Bangladesh and 600,000 police officers will man polling booths in a bid to thwart any possible election fraud and violence, police said.
The Election Commission says more than 100,000 polling officers will be stationed in a little over 35,000 polling centres across the country to help conduct the elections and also prevent possible rigging.
The commission has imposed restrictions on the use of cellphones within the poll centres, although the network will remain active across the country.
In their election manifestos, both AL and BNP have given a major focus on economic priorities.
The winner of Monday's election, either a single party or a coalition of parties, needs 151 of the 299 seats in the parliament.
Titled 'Charter for Change,' the AL's election manifesto offered five promises: poverty reduction, stabilisation of commodity prices, control of corruption, boosting power generation, and establishment of good governance.
The party also made pledges to ensure independence of judiciary in true sense, good governance through establishment of fundamental human rights, and the rule of law.
BNP's electoral manifesto is dedicated to 'Save Country, Save People', and the party said it, if voted to power, will reform the caretaker government system and scrap the special powers act.
It has also pledged measures to contain price hike of essentials, curb corruption, restore law and order, combat terrorism, and allow the judiciary to enjoy independence.
There are, in all, 50 female candidates in the election, 16 from AL, 14 from BNP, two from JP, four from Gono Forum, three from Bikalpadhara Bangladesh and one each from Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal, JP-Manju, Krishak Sramik Janata League, National Awami Party, National People's Party and JSD.
The EC had renamed voting centres in the lead up to polls this year as 'normal' and 'critical' from the previously 'non-risky' and 'risky' categories.