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Sylhet voters happy with preparations

Ashfaq Wares Khan and Iqbal Siddiquee, sylhet
Although the metropolis was not overwhelmed by election euphoria even until yesterday voters interviewed by Die Daily Star said preparations so far"seem to be fair."
Most also said they would vote for 'pineapple', Kamran's ballot symbol, or expect a Kamran landslide.
Kamran's closest competitors BNP-backed MA Haque and expelled BNP candidate AFM Kamal have split BNP loyalists, weakening each other.
BNP ally Jamaat-e Islami has also abstained from backing either Haque or Kamal despite holding a meeting last night to decide on the matter
However, the possibility of Kamran being convicted of corruption has kept professional bodies like Sylhet Chamber of Commerce or Sylhet District Bar Association away from endorsing a candidate.
But 31 cultural organisations backed Kamran yesterday.
Meanwhile, the government s experiment of enforcing new election laws relied heavily on fear of FROM PAGE 16
legal repercussions under the emergency state, says a high-level police official.
The official adds strict enforcement of election laws have also helped instil a fear among parties of violating the rules.
Local leaders of Awami League and BNP yesterday said the law enforcement agencies visited their offices several times and warned the rules would be strictly enforced and no - one would be spared.
Asked about the use of muscle and money in campaigns, the police official said, "We’ve arrested people for the slightest violations, so they've slowed down gradually."
He added it is likely that most of the campaigns would resort to violence to intimidate voters or clash with opposition if the emergency is completelywi th drawn.
Use of money and muscle to woo or coerce voters has been largely restricted thanks to a strict enforce-mentofelecponlay.-s. . ,,, .,
At least one councillor aspirant-was arrested for violating election rule and around 100 arrests were made for general rule violations, including handing out food or using an elephant to woo voters.
Plainclothes policemen and intelligence officials are monitoring suspicious individuals who have past experience of election or politics-related violence.
Sylhet Police Commissioner Syed Towfiquddin Ahmed told The Daily Star "We've created a list of suspicious individuals. But at least 95 percent are unlikely to create a lot of trouble so we're only monitoring them."
Twenty-eight policemen and Ansars will be posted to each of all 120 polling stations, with two additional law enforcers in 63 polling centres identified as 'vulnerable' to rigging or violence.