DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT

Voter

turnout

for the

February

12 election

may surpass

55 percent,

the turnout rate for the 1991 elections, said Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain.

He made the remark on the concluding day of the two-day training on election reporting jointly organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association Bangladesh (DCAB) and MRDI at a Dhaka hotel yesterday.

Responding to queries about Awami League’s campaign for boycotting the polls and “no” voting for the referendum, Touhid said Jamaat and NCP actively campaigned for the referendum, while some local BNP leaders supported it. BNP central leadership was less vocal. However, now the confusion has been cleared as BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has supported it.

“People will read the conditions and then decide how to vote, but realistically, most will vote along party lines,” he said.

Regarding turnout, he said, “Whether abstention will be higher this time, I cannot say. In the 1991 election, voter turnout was 55 percent. From what I see, turnout may be higher this time.”

Regarding foreigners’ concerns over violence during elections, he said, “Even if parties do not instigate violence, individual-level incidents can occur. We will continue trying to minimise such incidents.”

SEE PAGE 9 COL 4