Fair polls not possible if poll-time govt is biased: TIB chief

FE Team | Published: September 20, 2025 00:19:15

Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Dr Iftekharuzzaman has said a fair election will not be possible if the election-time government plays a biased role, reports UNB.
"If the election-time government is biased, fails to ensure level-playing field or plays a partial role towards any party, there will be no chance of fair election. So, we (TIB and media) have to observe their role as well," he told a workshop in the capital on Friday.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman made the remarks while speaking at a training workshop on election reporting for journalists, jointly organised by TIB and Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED) at the TIB office in Dhanmondi's Midas Centre. The TIB chief said the roles of the main stakeholders must be taken into account for holding a fair and neutral election.
"Among the list of stakeholders, many think it is the Election Commission which must play a central or the most important role. I think the role of everyone among the stakeholders is too critical that it is difficult to say whose role is the most important here," he said.
The TIB Executive Director, however, said the Election Commission must play the central role as it is their legal and constitutional responsibility. "But how much this responsibility is being performed or level-playing field is being created by the EC should be observed."
He said this is why the EC is the first stakeholder in the list and then the election-time government comes in the list of the stakeholders.
He pointed out that political parties are also key stakeholders. "If the political parties don't truly want fair elections and want to participate in the polls to win at any cost, it would be difficult to ensure a level-playing field," he said, adding that the roles of political parties and their candidates should be closely monitored by media and watchdog bodies.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman also emphasised the importance of the administration and law enforcement agencies, which come under the purview of the EC during elections. "We've to observe how much they play their role in an impartial manner, how much there is a cultural change in their roles and practices from what we'd seen in the past," he added.