Polls a bright example under political govt, says EC secy

Election Commission Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed said on Monday the 11th general election held under a political government will remain as a bright example in the history of democracy, report agencies.

"The voting in the parliamentary elections was held in a very free, fair and peaceful environment under a political government, this election will remain as a bright example," he said.

The secretary came up with the remarks while talking to reporters about the outcome of the elections at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city.

Various local and foreign observers have expressed their satisfaction over the voting, Helaluddin Ahmed said.

The Election Commission is also happy over the election, he added.

"For the first time, we used Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in six constituencies on experimental basis. There was a huge curiosity and big anxiety over the use of these machines," he said.

"We've been able to use the EVM successfully. We'll use this technology in the upcoming elections. We got the results of the constituencies a bit late as those were brought from remote areas," he said.

"We'll consider how fast we can receive results from these EVMs in the future," he added.

Helaluddin Ahmed congratulated the ruling Awami League on winning the election for the consecutive 3rd time.

He also thanked the other political parties for cooperating with the EC in holding the election successfully.

Mentioning that the EC's another big responsibility is publishing the result gazette, he said, "The gazette will be handed over to the Speaker when it's published. The process of forming the new government will start with the taking of oath by MPs."