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Tomorrow's Polls

Only 4 observers from abroad

Staff Correspondent
Only four foreign observers from India and Bhutan will monitor tomorrow's national elections.
Two Bhutanese observers from its election commission arrived in the capital yesterday, while two officials from the Indian EC are due today, said Election Commission officials.
The commission had requested many international polls observers, but so far it has got response from only two countries.
Claiming that Bangladesh's major political parties have failed to reach a consensus and create an atmosphere for transparent, inclusive and credible elections, some 83 countries have decided not send observers forthe January-5 election.
The European Union on December 20, the United States on December 22, the Commonwealth on December 23 and Russia on December 26 had officially informed the Election Commission and the
government about not deploying observers as" most political parties are not joining".
Meanwhile, the EC yesterday sent a letter to the home ministry, asking it to strengthen security at the EC secretariat.
The commission has also issued invitations to 12 political parties contesting the polls to be present at the EC secretariat during announcement of the election results.
In the ninth parliamentary elections in 2008, about 593 international observers had worked in Bangladesh.
On December 23, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad told reporters that local observers would oversee the polls in the absence of foreign observers.
Many local observers were staying away from the polls while several organisations decided to send a handful of staff.
"Around 31 local organisations will monitor the elections, and the total number of local observers will not be over 15,000," said an EC official.
In the last elections, some 1,59,113 local observers from 75 organisations were deployed to monitor the polls, according to EC statistics.
With the main opposition BNP-led 18-party alliance boycotting the polls, voting would be held in 147 constituencies, as 153 candidates have already been elected unopposed. A total of 390 candidates are contesting the polls.
The EC has taken tight security measures at electoral areas as it thinks around two-thirds of
the total 18,208 voting centres are vulnerable.
Over 3.75 lakh security personnel would be deployed in the 147 electoral constituencies in 59 districts.
On Thursday, Rakibuddin said the tenure of the army deployment might be extended, if necessary, to maintain post-election law and order. The army is supposed to stay on the ground until January 9.
The number of voters in the 147 electoral constituencies are 4,39,38,938. A total of 61 returning officers and 287 assistant returning officers have been assigned to hold the polls.