Bangladesh: CEC says elections to be held under existing system until constitution is amended

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said on Saturday that elections in the country will be held under the existing system until the constitution is amended. He said that conducting a fair poll has several challenges and termed public trust the “biggest challenge”.

While speaking to reporters in Dhaka on Saturday, he mentioned that the challenge faced by election commission is to bring the voters back to the polling centres. He said, “We are facing new and evolving challenges. The biggest challenge is public trust. It is essential to restore people’s confidence in the Election Commission and the electoral process,” Bangladesh’s leading daily, Dhaka Tribune quoted Nasir Uddin as saying.

Bangladesh’s CEC further stated, “The second challenge is bringing voters back to the polling centres. Many have lost interest due to not being able to vote in the past, so encouraging voter turnout is a major challenge.”

He stated that schedule of elections will be announced two months prior to the polls, at which time details regarding the date and nomination procedures will be made public. He said, “Until the constitution is amended, elections will be held in the same manner as in previous years.” He mentioned that the election schedule will be announced two months before the election, at which time details such as the date and nomination procedures will be made public.

Nasir Uddin said that reforms will be made as much as possible before the election and also mentioned that the misuse of technology has now emerged as a new challenge. According to him, unchecked spread of misinformation on social media is a key issue. He also called the use of Artificial Intelligence a major challenge, saying that speeches are being copied exactly and presented as someone else’s. He emphasised that local and international expert teams are working on this issue.

“In the modern era, this is more dangerous than a weapon and a serious problem for holding fair elections.”

Expressing commitment to holding fair polls, he said, “We are committed to holding fair elections. If the elections are not credible, the country’s future will be in darkness.” He mentioned that election faces several challenges and said that they are working to restore public confidence in the Election Commission.

His remarks come amid repeated calls for elections by political parties of Bangladesh. On Wednesday, leaders of 13 political parties and alliances urged Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to immediately announce the date for the national election.

IANS