Election Working Group (EWG), a common platform of election observers, expressed its grave concern on Sunday over safety and security of the voters on the election day of the three city corporations.
The election watchdog also said such insecurity would cause a lower turnout of voters during the polls, slated for tomorrow (Tuesday).
"Concerns regarding insecurity and being able to safely reach the polling station have been raised which might have an impact on voter turnout during the poll," EWG Director Dr Md Abdul Alim said while reading out a pre-election statement on behalf of the platform of 28 civil society organisations.
The observers' group issued its formal statement through a press conference at the National Press Club on the day. EWG's steering committee members -- Taleya Rehman and AHM Nouman, among others, spoke at the briefing.
"Confusion regarding deployment of the army and whether they would remain on call in the barracks or be present at polling stations has added to the perplexity among the voters," the statement adds.
The group has also found clear violation of the election rules by the mayoral and councillor candidates, with a limited enforcement of the code by Election Commission. Violation includes use of political identity, use of polling materials like posters and arrangement of public meeting by the mayoral and councillor candidates during their election campaigns.
According to the statement, in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), mayoral candidates, as observed by EWG, used at least 17 types of such unlawful materials. The figure stood at eight in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and four in Chittagong City Corporation (CCC).
"EWG also observed the chanting of political slogans at rallies organised by the mayoral and councillor aspirants in all three cities, demonstrating the extent to which party affiliation played a role in the campaigning process," the statement says.
According to the election codes, the stipulated time for using microphone or loudspeakers is 2:00 pm - 9:00 pm. "But the team of the EWG recorded at least 25 cases, where candidates' campaigners used loudspeakers beyond the stipulated time," it notes.
Besides, the watchdog recorded at least 84 public meetings organised by the mayoral and councillor candidates in DSCC, DNCC and CCC. Some 44 of those meetings were organised by the mayoral candidates while the rest 40 were conducted by the councillor candidates.
"Most of these violations were small in nature," it says adding that its observation also found a number of candidates to have been restricted by law enforcement agencies without justification.
It added that a number of candidates and their representatives shared their concerns with EWG team regarding their fear of arrest or harassment during the campaigning. The group has also observed that Khaleda Zia's personal car and a few cars of her supporters were attacked and smashed which is noticed by all.
The EWG said their report was prepared based on the findings by 67 EWG-deployed members in three city corporations from April 7 to April 23.
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Election observers worried over security of voters
FE Report | Published: April 27, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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