Prices of new EVMs up four-fold as EC plans to buy 2,500 machines

FE Team | Published: May 03, 2018 00:24:27

The Election Commission (EC) plans to procure nearly 2,500 electronic voting machines or EVMs, with an eye on the next elections, reports bdnews24.com.
The estimated cost of per EVM is Tk 200,000, which is four times higher than the machine used for the first time in 2010.
After the use of the newly-designed EVM on a trial basis in the Rangpur city polls in December last year, the commission has picked up the new EVMs for the polling stations to enhance voters' confidence in free and fair electoral process.
The decision to purchase the new EVMs was taken in a recent meeting of the commission.
Parts will be imported and Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory or BMTF will assemble EVMs, M Haider Ali, a member of EC technical panel, told the news agency.
"The BMTF also plans to manufacture the EVM parts. Hopefully, they will succeed," said Ali, a professor of computer science and engineering at Dhaka University.
On EVM pricing, he said the current price of this machine is $3,000 in the international market, but Bangladesh is spending $2,400 per machine.
Ali hoped that the price of the machine might be reduced by half in the days to come once parts are bought in bulk.
The commission first used EVMs in a polling station of Rangpur and Chittagong city polls in 2010 with the help of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and BMTF. Later, it was used in Narayanganj and Cumilla city polls and Narsingdi municipal elections.
The move comes amid growing demand from the ruling Awami League, but its arch-rival BNP opposed the use of EVMs.
On credibility of the new machines, Ali said, "The new EVM is much stronger than the machine bought previously. To cast vote through the new machine, a voter first needs to go through a verification process by fingerprint or smart national identity card number or voter number. There is no scope for vote rigging in the new system."
"We are now examining whether new EVMs are technically fit or vulnerable to risks. An international expert group will be invited to check the machines."