CEC confident about JS polls within December
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda Tuesday said with a firm confidence that the commission would be able to hold the parliamentary polls within December as they got the final countrywide voter list within the specific timeframe, reports UNB.
Dr ATM Shamsul Huda expressed his optimism after receiving the final voter list at the EC secretariat where Maj General Shafiqul Islam submitted the list to the commission with a total of 8,11,30,987 voters enrolled across the country.
Election Commissioners M Sohul Hussain and Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, EC secretary M Humayun Kabir and EC officials concerned were present on the occasion.
Bangladesh Army had started off the voter-listing operation through registering some 46,000 voters on June 10, 2007 from a pilot project at Shreepur Upazila in Gazipur district and completed the field-level registration activities on June 30 this year.
There were over 93 million voters found on the voter list 2006, which was the bone of contention as the then opposition Awami League complained about huge fake voters that eventually led to the political crisis and changeover in January last year. The list was cancelled as also was the general election set for January 22, 2007.
The number of voters on the remade photo-voter list, prepared under army guidance under a donor-aided project in the interim period, came down by around a crore and half.
The CEC said the accomplishment of the voter list has removed the people's doubt, confusion and debates over it. "Today is our day for joy and pride," he said.
He said the transparent voter list is a fundamental ground for holding a free, fair and acceptable election. "About 15 million voters were found less on the newly finalised voter list, and most of them were fake voters," he told the journalists.
Describing the previous voter list as fake, Dr Huda said people harbored doubt over the previous voter list and the election on January 22, if held, would have come under question. "Now we're sure that there's no faking in it," he said.
The CEC forecast that there's no possibility of fake voting this year as the voter list with photographs was made.
Dr Huda urged the country's voters to go to the vote centers without getting intimidated and expressing fear and confusion for casting their valuable vote. "There's no chance here to cast fake vote," he said.
Replying to a question, he said the commission has tried to cover all competent citizens, including slum-dwellers, prisoners and gypsies in the rivers, in registering as voter through making liberal interpretation of the constitutional rules.
Referring to the constitution, the CEC said it is stated in the constitution that people should have minimum an address to get registered on the voter list.
Asked about the case of former premier Khaleda Zia, who had earlier refused to be voter from within jail, Dr Huda said she would be able to be voter anytime when she likes as her case is special one. "She was asked to be voter. She will be voter when she likes," he said.
He, however, said the ordinary people who remained left out from the voter registration would not be drastically enrolled before the ninth parliamentary elections, set for December 18.
Replying to a question, the CEC said the voter list would be updated every year, beginning from January 2, 2009, and then the new voters would be included in the list. "Voter-registration will not be possible during the period from announcement of the election schedule until the election date," he said.
The CEC expressed gratitude to all concerned, including army, officials and development partners, for their efforts to accomplish the gigantic task of voter registration across the country.
After handing over the voter list to the commission, Maj Gen Shafiqul Islam said the voter list made by the army was comparatively more sophisticated and flawless digital list than those of other countries in the world.
"Now we feel comfortable as we've completed this gigantic task in time," he said.
Dr ATM Shamsul Huda expressed his optimism after receiving the final voter list at the EC secretariat where Maj General Shafiqul Islam submitted the list to the commission with a total of 8,11,30,987 voters enrolled across the country.
Election Commissioners M Sohul Hussain and Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, EC secretary M Humayun Kabir and EC officials concerned were present on the occasion.
Bangladesh Army had started off the voter-listing operation through registering some 46,000 voters on June 10, 2007 from a pilot project at Shreepur Upazila in Gazipur district and completed the field-level registration activities on June 30 this year.
There were over 93 million voters found on the voter list 2006, which was the bone of contention as the then opposition Awami League complained about huge fake voters that eventually led to the political crisis and changeover in January last year. The list was cancelled as also was the general election set for January 22, 2007.
The number of voters on the remade photo-voter list, prepared under army guidance under a donor-aided project in the interim period, came down by around a crore and half.
The CEC said the accomplishment of the voter list has removed the people's doubt, confusion and debates over it. "Today is our day for joy and pride," he said.
He said the transparent voter list is a fundamental ground for holding a free, fair and acceptable election. "About 15 million voters were found less on the newly finalised voter list, and most of them were fake voters," he told the journalists.
Describing the previous voter list as fake, Dr Huda said people harbored doubt over the previous voter list and the election on January 22, if held, would have come under question. "Now we're sure that there's no faking in it," he said.
The CEC forecast that there's no possibility of fake voting this year as the voter list with photographs was made.
Dr Huda urged the country's voters to go to the vote centers without getting intimidated and expressing fear and confusion for casting their valuable vote. "There's no chance here to cast fake vote," he said.
Replying to a question, he said the commission has tried to cover all competent citizens, including slum-dwellers, prisoners and gypsies in the rivers, in registering as voter through making liberal interpretation of the constitutional rules.
Referring to the constitution, the CEC said it is stated in the constitution that people should have minimum an address to get registered on the voter list.
Asked about the case of former premier Khaleda Zia, who had earlier refused to be voter from within jail, Dr Huda said she would be able to be voter anytime when she likes as her case is special one. "She was asked to be voter. She will be voter when she likes," he said.
He, however, said the ordinary people who remained left out from the voter registration would not be drastically enrolled before the ninth parliamentary elections, set for December 18.
Replying to a question, the CEC said the voter list would be updated every year, beginning from January 2, 2009, and then the new voters would be included in the list. "Voter-registration will not be possible during the period from announcement of the election schedule until the election date," he said.
The CEC expressed gratitude to all concerned, including army, officials and development partners, for their efforts to accomplish the gigantic task of voter registration across the country.
After handing over the voter list to the commission, Maj Gen Shafiqul Islam said the voter list made by the army was comparatively more sophisticated and flawless digital list than those of other countries in the world.
"Now we feel comfortable as we've completed this gigantic task in time," he said.