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EC prepares roadmap to JS polls

People accepted no-caretaker provision, says EC

Staff Correspondent
The next parliamentary polls will be held under the current constitutional provisions as the people have "accepted" the 15th Amendment to the constitution, Election Commissioner Abdul Mobarak said yesterday.
The 15 th amendment scrapped the caretaker government system and introduced the provision of holding the parliamentary election within 90 days prior to dissolution of parliament.
According to the amendment, the Awami League-led government will remain in office during the next parliamentary elections. The amendment however has triggered political uncertainty as the BNP-led opposition combine has announced they would not contest the election if it is held under the AL-led government.
"Many cases would have been filed with the courts challenging the amendment had people not accepted it. But no case was filed. So, we assume people have accepted it. And the next election will be held under the current constitutional provision," said Mobarak, who was appointed as an election commissioner in last February.
Mobarak was speaking at a press briefing at the EC Secretariat conference room after an EC meeting in presence of Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad and three other election commissioners.
He also said the EC has already prepared a roadmap to holding the next parliamentary polls and elections to some other local governmentbodies.
He also expressed his
doubt about whether MPs of the current parliament will be able to contest the next parliamentary polls while remaining in office. According to him, MPs are holding offices of profit and individuals holding offices of profit are disqualified from contesting the parliamentary polls, he said.
Asked how the level playing field will be ensured if ministers contest the polls staying in offices, he said they would hold the polls under the existing laws.
Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Zabed Ali, however, said: "How can we guarantee that MPs and ministers will be candidates in the next parliamentary polls? They may not contest the polls."
At the briefing, CEC Rakibuddin said the EC would have to conduct many elections in the days ahead. The EC has prepared a roadmap to holding the next parliamentary polls in between October 26, 2013 and January 24, 2014, he added.
According to the roadmap, the EC will hold talks with political parties and civil society personalities seeking their opinions to
bring changes in electoral laws.
Proposals for electoral reforms will then be sent to the law ministry to translate those into law by March next year.
Besides, the EC has plans to sit with political parties and civil society personalities again before announcing the schedule for the next parliamentary polls, said the EC's roadmap.
The CEC said they would not use electronic voting machines (EVM) in the next general elections as the EC did not have much preparation to that end.
He said the EC Secretariat would make preparations to collect election materials as per the roadmap.
Rakibuddin also said redemarcation of boundaries of parliamentary constituencies would begin after the Eid-ul-Fitr.
On holding polls to city corporations, the CEC said polls to Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet city corporations will be held before the next parliamentary elections.
The EC would also prepare to hold polls to 481 upazila parishads, he added.