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Draft Voter Roll Rules

EC gets it out from law ministry

Shakhawat Ltton
Annoyed by the law ministry's delay in returning to the Election Commission (EC) the vetted draft electoral rolls rules, two of the commissioners yesterday rushed to the ministry and forced the officials there to release the file.
The EC’s bold initiative finally cleared the way for promulgating the electoral rolls rules, which had been stalling for three weeks due to the law ministry's procrastination.
Returning to the EC Secretariat premises with the vetted draft rules in the afternoon, the two election commissioners — Muhammed
Sohul Hussain and Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain --- told journalists that publication of area wise draft voter lists had been delayed because the vetted draft had not been returned to the commission earlier by the law ministry.
"We went there to expedite the vetting of the draft electoral rolls rules because promulgation of the rules is urgent," Election Commissioner Sakhawat Hussain told reporters in his office.
Stressing the need for immediate promulgation of the rules, Election Commissioner Sohul Hussain said the entire job of I —
publishing draft voter lists had been stalling due to the law ministry's procrastination.
Both election commissioners said they also met the law adviser in the ministry secretariat to clarify the provisions in the proposed rules if needed, since the draft rules are absolutely new and different from the previous voter fisting rules.
The commission might issue a gazette notification today promulgating the rules, which will give legitimacy to the procedures used for the ongoing activities for preparing the national voter list, and will clear thewayforpublishingdrafts of area wise voter lists.
The EC on January 21 sent tire draft electoral rolls rules to the law ministry for vetting and requested the ministry to send it back to the EC as soon as possible, so the EC may promulgate the rules.
But tire ministry failed to act as quickly as the EC's expectation despite senior EC officials' repeated prodding over the last four days, sources in the EC Secretariat said.
Without the rules, the EC could not publish area wise draft voter lists for four city corporations and seven municipalities for holding the long over due polls to those local govern -ment bodies in April.
Under the circumstances, the EC yesterday morning decided to meet Law Adviser AF Hassan Ariff in his office in Bangladesh Secretariat in a desperate bid to expedite the vetting of the draft electoral rolls rules, tire
sources added.
At the meeting top officials of the law ministry explained the delay saying that they have a huge pile of work pending. They requested die commissioners to go back to the EC Secretariat assuring them dial the ministry would send the vetted draft of the rules to them as soon as possible, meeting sources said.
But die commissioners refused to leave the law ministry premises widiout the vetted draft of the rules.
Staying put in the ministry secretariat for about two hours, the election commissioners convinced the law adviser and his lop officials of the urgency of having the rules vetted.
"We stayed put in the ministry so we could bring back the vetted draft electoral rolls rules with us," Sakliawat said.
Talking to reporters on the EC Secretariat premises. Sohul said once the rules are promulgated die entire procedure for preparing die voter list with photographs will get legality.
The EC began field level work of preparing die voter fist with photographs on August 11 of last year, a day after Electoral Rolls Ordinance 2007 had been promulgated empowering the commission to formulate die rules for voter listing.
However, the EC did not formulate the rules last year aldiough in die electoral roadmap announced by itself on July 15 of that year the commission had promised to start publishing area wise draft voter fists from October of die same year. The EC could not begin publishing the lists
in October2007 since it waited for the first day of die current year for a batch of new voters who became 18 years oldonthatdate.
Meanwhile, die EC decided to hold in April of this year the long over due polls to die city corpora-dons of Rajshahi. Khulna. Bansal, and Syihet, and to the municipalities of Fulabaria, Manikganj, Sripur, Shariatpur. Golapganj. Sitakunda, and Cox's Bazar.
The army, which has been working at the field level for preparing the voter lists, already handed over to the EC for publication the draft voter fists for the four city corpora-dons and seven municipalities.
The EC also completed its prepa-radons for publishing the draft voter lists, to allow voters to inspect die lists and to file complaints and claims, if they have any. Revising authorities, who will be appointed by the EC, will settle the claims and objections, if any filed.
Since the date of publicadon of the draft lists, it will require about a month to finalise the lists. If the EC cannot start publishing the draft lists this week, it might become difficult for the EC to complete the preparation by March 20 for holding the polls to die city corporations and municipalities in April.
On April 4 of last year Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda met the dien law adviser in die latter's office and urged the caretaker government to lift the prevailing restrictions on 'indoor politics', so die EC could
hold electoral reform talks with political parties. The caretaker government finally allowed 'indoor politics' only in the capital on September 10 of last year.
Asked whether the EC created a precedent by visiting the law adviser for expediting the vetting of draft electoral rolls rules, Election Commissioner Sakhawat said, "We don't have time to think about any protocol. We are in a state of emergency and carrying out urgent work for the state. We will go anywhere to achieve our goals no matter what the critics think. "
He said had the EC invited the law ministry officials to discuss the draft electoral rolls rules, it would have been delayed more.
The election commissioners also discussed with the law adviser a draft ordinance for setting up a national registration authority, which will supervise issuance of national identity cards.
"The law adviser assured us that an ordinance to set up a national registration authority will be promulgated as soon as possible." Sakliawat told the reporters.
Currendy, temporary national identity cards are being prepared simultaneously with the voter lists with photographs, but only persons eligible to become voters are getung the cards now.
Once the national registration authority is set up, it will issue national identity cards to all citizens.