Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Monday said his commission didn't work with any particular 'design' to conduct the 13th parliamentary election held on February 12, reports UNB.
"We didn't work with any design. Our design was only to hold a free, fair and credible election," he said.
The CEC made the remarks, while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the newly elected Executive Committee of Reporters' Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED) at the Electoral Training Institute (ETI) in the city's Agargaon area.
Nasir Uddin said they received full support and cooperation from the interim government during the February-12 general election.
The Election Commission faced no interference from the then interim government during the parliamentary election, he added.
He said the chief adviser of the former interim government asked his administration not to interfere in the activities of the Election Commission at that time.
About the upcoming local government elections, the CEC stressed the need for full cooperation from political parties for fair and peaceful elections.
He asked the political parties, if necessary, to sit in discussions for the sake of holding the local government elections in peaceful and fair manners. "We want to establish a culture of good elections," he said.
About the tentative timetable for the local body polls, Nasir Uddin said the timetable has not been finalised yet and the EC is now working on amendments to rules and electoral codes now.
Responding to allegations of 'election engineering' raised at the same event by National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwary, the CEC said Patwary is known for his outspoken remarks and the commission has become accustomed to hearing such remarks from him.
"We've developed a kind of resistance hearing such remarks from him. During the election, he often met us and criticised us, just going outside the door…. Believe me, I sincerely say that I didn't feel even the slightest hurt," the CEC said.
Speaking about the journalists, Nasir Uddin said the commission tried to extend as much freedom as possible to the media during the February election, as it had "nothing to hide."
"We tried to give you as much freedom as possible because we had nothing to conceal," he said.
The CEC also said the commission maintained the same policy for all political parties, regardless of whether they were small, medium or large.
At the event, ruling party Whip Mia Nuruddin Ahmed Opu praised the Election Commission for conducting what he described as a credible election, while Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad and NCP Chief Coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwary criticised different aspects of the polls.
Mia Nuruddin Ahammed Opu said the February election reflected the aspirations of the people and described it as one of the most inclusive and widely credible elections in the country's history.
"After people had been deprived of voting rights in the previous three elections, the current Election Commission gave the country an acceptable electoral system," he said.
Jamaat leader Hamidur Rahman Azad acknowledged what he described as greater transparency at the policy level and noted qualitative improvements in voter participation, particularly among first-time voters, but not in publication of election results.
"There has been a qualitative change in the election. Voters went to polling stations and cast ballots, especially new voters who were able to vote for the first time," he said.
However, he said some flaws in the election process should also be acknowledged to avoid hiding the truth.
Azad said more political parties participated in the latest election than in previous polls, although the Awami League could not join due to legal reasons. "This time we witnessed no violence in the polling stations," he said.
"Only casting votes is not enough for fair election, the fair process also should be maintained in the declaration of election results," said the Jamaat leader.
About the local government elections, he urged the Election Commission to address shortcomings and ensure that the polls do not witness violence or political interference similar to what he termed the "fascist era."
Meanwhile, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwary said bringing changes in the EC from top to bottom is his first target.
"Bangladesh has witnessed how the DGFI, NSI and other intelligence agencies can engineer an election nakedly in the DC offices on election day," he said.
Referring to a previous remark by an election commissioner that loan defaulters had been allowed to contest the election "with a heavy heart," Patwary said the EC can't violate the Constitution even with a heavy heart. "It is your commitment that you don't allow them," he said.