EC drafting set of guidelines for election observers
Saturday, 13 September 2008
The Election Commission (EC) is drafting a set of guidelines for election observers, allowing them for the first time to remain in polling booths throughout the voting and counting processes, a senior EC official said Thursday, reports bdnews24.com.
After a meeting on election observer guidelines, EC secretary Muhammad Humayun Kabir told the journalists at his office in the city Thursday that registration of all observation bodies would be made mandatory.
The commission is formulating the draft guidelines in keeping with the Representation of the People Order (Amendment) Ordinance-2008.
The EC secretary said if the guidelines are finalised this month, registration of observers would take off next month to continue up to the election.
Under the new rules, an organisation will get accreditation for one year.
Observers must be at least 25 years of age and have passed SSC examinations to qualify.
The EC secretary said: "There will be two observation bodies at most in each Upazila. Each organisation could send two observers at best to each polling centre."
The commission took this decision as it has been alleged from several quarters that too many observers at a polling centre can hamper the election atmosphere.
"But the observers can remain at polling centres at all times and be present during vote counting."
This is the first time that election observers will be allowed to stay in polling centres and also during vote counting, Humayun Kabir said.
Besides, roving observers will be able to monitor election centres.
No one belonging to any political party will be allowed to be an observer.
Local and foreign observers would not be allowed to monitor the poll situation for more than a week at a time. The pre-election observation and post-election observation will be limited to one week, the EC secretary said.
A senior EC official told the news agency that the commission was also weighing a proposal to form bodies consisting of representatives from all the registered organisations to ensure transparency.
The district election official will be the head of such bodies, the official said.
After a meeting on election observer guidelines, EC secretary Muhammad Humayun Kabir told the journalists at his office in the city Thursday that registration of all observation bodies would be made mandatory.
The commission is formulating the draft guidelines in keeping with the Representation of the People Order (Amendment) Ordinance-2008.
The EC secretary said if the guidelines are finalised this month, registration of observers would take off next month to continue up to the election.
Under the new rules, an organisation will get accreditation for one year.
Observers must be at least 25 years of age and have passed SSC examinations to qualify.
The EC secretary said: "There will be two observation bodies at most in each Upazila. Each organisation could send two observers at best to each polling centre."
The commission took this decision as it has been alleged from several quarters that too many observers at a polling centre can hamper the election atmosphere.
"But the observers can remain at polling centres at all times and be present during vote counting."
This is the first time that election observers will be allowed to stay in polling centres and also during vote counting, Humayun Kabir said.
Besides, roving observers will be able to monitor election centres.
No one belonging to any political party will be allowed to be an observer.
Local and foreign observers would not be allowed to monitor the poll situation for more than a week at a time. The pre-election observation and post-election observation will be limited to one week, the EC secretary said.
A senior EC official told the news agency that the commission was also weighing a proposal to form bodies consisting of representatives from all the registered organisations to ensure transparency.
The district election official will be the head of such bodies, the official said.