EC identifies 'risky' polling centres
Monday, 24 March 2008
The Election Commission (EC) will arrange special security measures at 'risky polling centres' ahead of elections.
Election Commissioner Muhammad Sohul Hossain said this while talking to journalists at the EC Secretariat office in the city Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.
"We are gathering information on risky polling centres through intelligence organisations and polling officers", Sohul said.
"We will decide what measures are appropriate to protect them against potential breaches of law once we have finished gathering the information", he said.
The EC is considering holding elections for four city corporations such as Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet where the elections of new office-bearers are overdue.
The commission is thinking of a similar move for the seven municipalities of Shariatpur, Shitakunda, Cox's Bazar, Gopalganj, Sreepur, Fulbarhia and Manikganj.
Ahead of the cancelled January 2007 national election, 33,735 polling centres were arranged, where a total of 93 million (9.3 crore) voters were to have cast their votes.
In the eighth parliamentary polls, 29,977 polling centres had been readied for 75 million voters.
The commissioner said the number of polling centres for the upcoming national polls may surpass 33,000 in which approximately 80 million voters will be registered.
"The EC is taking steps to exclude all political slogans on walls ahead of the elections through changes in the election code of conduct", the commissioner said.
Election Commissioner Muhammad Sohul Hossain said this while talking to journalists at the EC Secretariat office in the city Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.
"We are gathering information on risky polling centres through intelligence organisations and polling officers", Sohul said.
"We will decide what measures are appropriate to protect them against potential breaches of law once we have finished gathering the information", he said.
The EC is considering holding elections for four city corporations such as Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet where the elections of new office-bearers are overdue.
The commission is thinking of a similar move for the seven municipalities of Shariatpur, Shitakunda, Cox's Bazar, Gopalganj, Sreepur, Fulbarhia and Manikganj.
Ahead of the cancelled January 2007 national election, 33,735 polling centres were arranged, where a total of 93 million (9.3 crore) voters were to have cast their votes.
In the eighth parliamentary polls, 29,977 polling centres had been readied for 75 million voters.
The commissioner said the number of polling centres for the upcoming national polls may surpass 33,000 in which approximately 80 million voters will be registered.
"The EC is taking steps to exclude all political slogans on walls ahead of the elections through changes in the election code of conduct", the commissioner said.