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Protect presiding officers during polls

EC asks executive magistrates

Staff Correspondent
The Election Commission yesterday asked the executive magistrates to ensure equal opportunity for all candidates during the 11th general election scheduled for December 30.
During the second day of briefing, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda and four other commissioners also asked the executive magistrates of Sylhet, Barishal and Chattogram to ensure that the electoral code of conduct is not violated.
"It is your duty to ensure that all the candidates are treated equally," CEC Huda told the executive magistrates at
the Nirbachan Bhaban.
The commission started the three-day briefing for executive magistrates to give them directives on conducting drives against violations of polls code and punishing the violators.
On November 12, the EC directed the Ministry of Public Administration to appoint 579 executive magistrates at the field level to check for violations of the electoral code of conduct.
It asked the ministry to keep the magistrates engaged in the election duty till the day after the election (December 31).
"You must protect the presiding officers instead of commanding them.
Do not try to control them; rather, assist them in holding the election," CEC Huda said.
Election commissioners Mahbub Talukdar, Brig Cen (retd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury, Rafiqul Islam, and Kabita Khanam, all asked magistrates to work without any bias and ensure equal treatment for all candidates.
"Law enforcers will work under your supervision and they will fire only if you command it. Therefore, apply your judicial mind during polls," Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury said.
Mahbub Talukdar said if the laws were not applied neutrally those became "black laws", which would foil the election.
"So, everyone needs to be careful. ”
Rafiqul Islam said that EC did not want to see discriminatory enforcement of laws. “If you execute the law in a discriminatory way, it can hamper the level playing field".
Kabita Khanam said that EC would hold accountable those who fail to properly execute the law.
'EC YETTO BE NEUTRAL'
The BNP-led 20-party alliance coordinator Col (retd) Oli Ahmed yesterday alleged that that the EC had failed to prove its neutrality till date.
"The Election Commission does not seem neutral to us till today," Oli Ahmed, also chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters after a meeting with the EC this evening.
He had led a 23-member delegation that put forward a 13 points demand to the EC for creating a level playing field during the election.
Oli said that Jatiya Oikyafront handed over the list of several controversial officials of administration and police and demanded their transfer.
Oikyafront on Thursday demanded withdrawal of 92 officials - 70 senior police officials and 22 civil servants, including the secretaries of the EC, home and public administration
ministries - for ensuring a level playing field for all candidates in the December 30 national election.
Claiming that many government officials had already built a rapport with ministers and lawmakers, Oli said he had asked the constitutional body to transfer them to other districts for the sake of a free and fair election.
He said the spree of lodging fictitious cases against the alliance leaders and supporters was continuing across the country.
“We have asked the commission to suspend cases until December 30," he told the reporters.
He also demanded giving the army the power to arrest any miscreants, adding that armed security guards should be provided for presidents and general secretaries of all registered political parties participating in the election.
Oli also urged the EC not to use electronic voting machines (EVM) during the election. "We think that it is unwise to use the EVM in the election going against the will of people." NOTO PARTY ALLEGATIONS The EC, in an unofficial meeting yesterday night, decided not to take into consideration those allegations of electoral code violations which are raised by different political parties. But the commission will consider specific allegations raised by candidates, EC sources said.
Election Commissioner Rafiqul Islam told The Daily Star last night that they had also discussed many others things presented before them in the unofficial sitting. "[The] EC secretary will make an official briefing regarding the matter," he said.
The meeting comes at a time when the opposition BNP, the Jatiya Oikyafront, the ruling Awami League and its 14-party alliance, have brought various allegations against each other for violations of the electoral code of conduct during the last couple of weeks.