Brotee, an election observer group, yesterday said the city corporation and municipality elections Were held in a peaceful and fair manner.

The overall electoral environment, management and procedural mechanisms have improved, but not the political human resources, said Sharmeen Murshid, chief executive officer of Brotee, which observed the August 4 polls in eight municipalities and four city corporations.

Asked if Brotee recommends next parliamentary elections under the state of emergency', Murshid said, "We don't want the national polls under an emergency, but necessary environment must be created to ensure free and fair polls without any violence. The commitment of political parties is very important in this

At the programme organised to disseminate its observation report at Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium, she said the rate of casting vote has increased significantly.

In 2002, die rate of casting vote in three city corporation polls was 47 percent, while it was 79 percent in the present elections, she added.

The report was prepared on the basis of monitoring by its around 400 observers who talked to voters, poll authorities, common people, journalists, candidates and the local administration.

Participation of religious minorities, indigenous people and women was notable, said Murshid, adding that no report of pressure or torture was reported.

Unlike previous polls, there was no incident of vote rigging or grabbing of centres except one or two incidents, said Brotee, adding, the terrorist activities have also reduced drastically.

While in 2002 city corporation polls, a total of 74 people were injured and 2 others killed, but this time only 13 were injured and 1 killed, it added.

Brotee said law and order situation was also good during the local government polls, but at times law enforcers' operation appeared to be excessive in Barisal where Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members charged baton on common people without any provocation.

Voters at a centre alleged that the presiding officer did not allow them to cast votes even after two to tliree hours of waiting as there were discrepancies between the numbers of their identity cards and the registration numbers in the voter list, it added.

As the voters protested the incident, Rab beat them irrespective of old and women, said the report, adding, even two of Brotee observers were not spared by Rab although they showed their identity cards.

The tendency of selling or buying votes, with the exception of a few incidents at the slums of Barisal and Sylhet, was reduced to a great extent, but it received information that each mayoral candidate of Rajshahi City Corporation spent Tk 12 to 20 lakh exceeding their highest ceiling ofTk 5 lakh, while each councilor spent Tk 5 lakh exceeding their highest ceiling ofTk 50,000, said Brotee.

"As per the Election Commission announcement, voters were not supposed to use national ID cards

while casting votes, but due to lack of adequate publicity, they carried ID cards and the polling officers tried to tally the numbers of ID cards and voters list This created unexpected complication in many places," she added.

Murshid said they received specific allegations from Sreepur, Sylhet and Khulna that polling officers faced troubles in finding out voters' names from the list that caused delay in casting votes.

Even names of many voters who had ID cards could not be found in the voter list and as a result they were deprived of casting votes, she added.

In some polling centres, voting began late because of shortage of booths and secret rooms, she said, adding that women were also found waiting for two to three hours at the centres.

Brotee said the educational qualification of the candidates was not at the expected level

It cited that of the 253 candidates in Khulna, 90 candidates' education was under the secondary level, while

of the 198 candidates in Barisal, education of 69 was under the secondary level

Twelve of 46 mayoral candidates in four city corporations kept secret some of the information required in the affidavits, while the statements of 40 candidates were also incomplete, it added.

Taking part in the discussion on the report. Prof Abul Barakat of Dhaka University said he thinks the candidates had spent more than the amount mentioned in Brotee's report.

To hold fair polls in the absence of emergency and establish a good political culture, he said political parties, vibrant citizens forums, cultural organisations and students have to play an active role.

Awami League leader Col (retd) Faruk Khan said the local government polls proved that the attempt to de-politicise was wrong and those who propagated against politicians should learn a lesson.

Former adviser to a caretaker government M Hafizuddin Khan presided over the programme.