Shujan opposes EVM in next general election
Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) has opposed the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the next national election, citing various problems such as its technical flaws and a lack of credibility.
"The current Election Commission (EC) is blind and deaf," alleged Shujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar at a discussion on "Appropriateness of EVM in the National Election" on 28 August in the capital.
"The civil society, political parties, media and many others have raised questions about the transparency of EVMs. However, without listening to anyone, the commission announced voting through EVMs in 150 seats," he added.
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Majumder said, "There are concerns about the reliability of elections through EVMs. It is a weak device."
"The commission has lost the trust following the decision of using EVMs. Whatever they say will be final but it is difficult for us to verify," he added
Using EVMs will not be the right decision due to imperfect biometrics which may not be solved in just one year, said the Shujan secretary adding, that half-a-billion dollars will have to be spent on buying new EVMs but the country is in dire straits amid volatile foreign currency market.
At the event, engineer Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb said, EVM machines can be controlled remotely by connecting to EC's computer network or by placing a pre-installed SIM or card-like IC (integrated circuit) inside the device.
Fraud is also possible through audit card chips used to open EVM, he added.
