Election won’t be acceptable without all parties participating: Ex CECs

The next parliamentary election will not be an acceptable one without the participation of all political parties, said former chief election commissioners (CECs) and election commissioners (ECs).

The Election Commission has to be completely independent to conduct a free, fair, and inclusive election using electronic voting machines (EVMs), they said during a discussion with members of the current Commission at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city's Agargaon on Sunday.

In the discussion, former chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda said, "Everyone is expecting a fair election, but the inclusion of all parties is a must for that."

"No matter how independent the Election Commission is, some work has to go through the government," he said, adding that the Commission often has to face uncomfortable situations in applying and enforcing the electoral code of conduct.

Mentioning that there is no need for army deployment during the election, he said, "They are of no use in conducting elections. There is no need to even deploy law enforcement personnel spending 75% of the election budget on them."

Emphasising the use of EVMs, the former chief election commissioner said, "EVM has considerable advantages as no one can commit ballot box stuffing or vote-rigging and the machine cannot be turned on before the election begins."

Former chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda said that to ensure an inclusive election the Election Commission has to play a role in bringing the opposition BNP to the polls.

"If the Commission requires any assistance from former commissioners at any stage, it will be provided," he added.

Former election commissioner Mahbub Talukder said holding an all-inclusive election is a big challenge as that requires a neutral government.

He said, "If the election is not participatory, it will not be accepted nationally and internationally. Only an acceptable government can guarantee acceptable elections, and it is not possible to ensure a level playing field if members of parliament do not resign before the election."

"In order to hold a world-class election, the Ministry of Public Administration and the Ministry of Home Affairs must be placed under the Election Commission during the election and police activity must be strictly monitored," Mahbub Talukder further said.

Another former election commissioner, Abu Hafiz, said the law must be enforced properly to ensure a fair election. "It will be a failure if people deem the election to be unfair, no matter how fair we say it is."   

At the end of the discussion, the incumbent Chief Election Commissioner, Kazi Habibul Awal, said, "If the election is not inclusive, then we lose acceptability in real terms. Much of our political culture has been ruined and we have to bring some positive changes back to this culture."

"If the political parties lack tolerance and harmony, then it will not be possible for the Election Commission alone to hold a very good election," the current CEC added.

Former CEC, Justice Abdur Rauf, former secretaries Mohammad Sadiq, and Mohammad Abdullah, among others, were present at the event.