EC warns of legal action on violation of code of conduct
Monday, 29 December 2008
FE Report
The Election Commission will take legal action against the violators of electoral code of conduct following the reports from judicial magistrates assigned for the national election today (Monday).
'If anyone, including any candidate, violates the code of conduct, the judicial magistrate concerned will give a report to the commission after investigating it. On the basis of the report, we will take legal action against the violators,' Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Sakhawat Hussain told newsmen at his office in the city Sunday.
He said if any chaos is created at any polling centre, the magistrates have been given instructions to take immediate action.
Mentioning the measures taken by the EC to ensure security of the voters during the polls, he said the measures were aimed at voters' security before, during and after voting.
Responding to a question about mobile-phone use during today's election, he said the use of mobile phone is totally prohibited inside the polling centres.
He requested the reporters to wait until 8:00 am Monday for a final decision of the EC about whether the mobile-phone network would be in operation or not. None but approved persons will be allowed to use mobile phone inside the polling centres, he added.
Asked about the NGOs' political campaigns as reported in some newspaper reports, he said the commission has seen the reports and asked the returning officers concerned to take initiatives about it.
About polls monitoring, he said any such organisation of polls observers will be blacklisted if they are found to be partisan and working in favour of any political party.
The Election Commissioner asked the government officials, who are not on election duties, not to communicate with the district administrations at this moment to avoid any influence of them on election.
The government officials, except those who are involved in election duties, should not visit their respective election areas and not contact with the Superintendents of Police and returning officers, he added.
He, however, said the government officials could go to their respective areas if they want to cast their votes.
Sakhawat said enough security measures have been taken so that none comes under assault for casting their votes. 'The government beside the Election Commission, should ensure security for all," he added.
According to bdnews24.com, the candidates can distribute slips with voter serial numbers outside the polling centres to make voting easy during Monday's general elections, the Election Commission said Sunday.
The EC sent letters Saturday to the parties to send their representatives during publication of results.
The voting will run from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm in 35,263 polling centres across the country.
Farhad Ahmed Khan, senior assistant secretary at the EC Secretariat, said new electoral laws barr any election camp within 400 yards of the centre.
"But there is no bar to providing names and serial numbers of the voters by the candidates."
The candidates' names and symbols on the slips would not be a problem either, he said.
In previous elections the political parties or the candidates would throw up camps outside the polling station. The camps had provided serial numbers and run campaign.
The voting in the August polls to four city corporations and nine municipalities had gone slow as the voters were not provided with serial numbers, he observed.
Three hours after the voting had begun, the EC allowed the candidates to provide the voters with serial numbers outside the polling stations.
EC joint secretary Rafiqul Islam said a marquee has been set up around the Secretariat for publication of results from there.
Each party can send maximum four representatives, he said.
The Election Commission will take legal action against the violators of electoral code of conduct following the reports from judicial magistrates assigned for the national election today (Monday).
'If anyone, including any candidate, violates the code of conduct, the judicial magistrate concerned will give a report to the commission after investigating it. On the basis of the report, we will take legal action against the violators,' Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Sakhawat Hussain told newsmen at his office in the city Sunday.
He said if any chaos is created at any polling centre, the magistrates have been given instructions to take immediate action.
Mentioning the measures taken by the EC to ensure security of the voters during the polls, he said the measures were aimed at voters' security before, during and after voting.
Responding to a question about mobile-phone use during today's election, he said the use of mobile phone is totally prohibited inside the polling centres.
He requested the reporters to wait until 8:00 am Monday for a final decision of the EC about whether the mobile-phone network would be in operation or not. None but approved persons will be allowed to use mobile phone inside the polling centres, he added.
Asked about the NGOs' political campaigns as reported in some newspaper reports, he said the commission has seen the reports and asked the returning officers concerned to take initiatives about it.
About polls monitoring, he said any such organisation of polls observers will be blacklisted if they are found to be partisan and working in favour of any political party.
The Election Commissioner asked the government officials, who are not on election duties, not to communicate with the district administrations at this moment to avoid any influence of them on election.
The government officials, except those who are involved in election duties, should not visit their respective election areas and not contact with the Superintendents of Police and returning officers, he added.
He, however, said the government officials could go to their respective areas if they want to cast their votes.
Sakhawat said enough security measures have been taken so that none comes under assault for casting their votes. 'The government beside the Election Commission, should ensure security for all," he added.
According to bdnews24.com, the candidates can distribute slips with voter serial numbers outside the polling centres to make voting easy during Monday's general elections, the Election Commission said Sunday.
The EC sent letters Saturday to the parties to send their representatives during publication of results.
The voting will run from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm in 35,263 polling centres across the country.
Farhad Ahmed Khan, senior assistant secretary at the EC Secretariat, said new electoral laws barr any election camp within 400 yards of the centre.
"But there is no bar to providing names and serial numbers of the voters by the candidates."
The candidates' names and symbols on the slips would not be a problem either, he said.
In previous elections the political parties or the candidates would throw up camps outside the polling station. The camps had provided serial numbers and run campaign.
The voting in the August polls to four city corporations and nine municipalities had gone slow as the voters were not provided with serial numbers, he observed.
Three hours after the voting had begun, the EC allowed the candidates to provide the voters with serial numbers outside the polling stations.
EC joint secretary Rafiqul Islam said a marquee has been set up around the Secretariat for publication of results from there.
Each party can send maximum four representatives, he said.