The Election Commission is likely to sit with former chief election commissioners and election commissioners to get their suggestions and take advantage of their experience in order to hold the next general elections smoothly.
‘Besides talking to civil society members and political parties, we are planning to sit with former election commissioners,’ election commissioner Zabed Ali told a group of reporters at his office on Tuesday. ‘You
see, they are our seniors. We should listen to what they say we should do to hold the next polls smoothly.’
Zabed said the EC has already collected the names of all the former CECs and election commissioners and will invite them at ‘an opportune time’.
When asked what type of amendments the EC was planning to make to the existing electoral laws and rules, Zabed Ali said they are yet to decide what amendments should be brought about.
‘The EC is scrutinising all the electoral laws and rules to find out what changes are needed,’ he added.
Zabed Ali said the EC was also examining the proposals made by the previous commissioners of the EC to see how many of them could be accepted.
When asked whether they were thinking of accepting the previous commission’s proposal for ensuring the EC’s control over three ministries and the Cabinet Division during the national elections, Zabed Ali replied, ‘According to Article 126 of the Constitution, not only the three but all the ministries should work in line with the EC’s directives during the period of election.’
He, however, said the EC’s control over only three ministries is not sufficient.
‘Other ministries should also be brought under the EC,’ he added.
When asked what proposals of the previous EC they might accept, he replied, ‘They have put forward some good suggestions indeed. For instance, they have proposed reduction of the number of parliamentary constituencies in Dhaka to 10.’
‘It is a good proposal. I think that the number of constituencies should be reduced to 8, as it was in the past,’ Zabed Ali further opined.
He, however, said the EC was yet to take a final decision on what principles the parliamentary constituencies would be redrawn.
He said the number of constituencies in the rural areas was reduced last time which caused a reduction in the allocation of development funds to villages.
When asked if the EC has enough time to make preparations, particularly to amend electoral rules and code of conduct as it has only about a year in its hands, Zabed Ali categorically said they would ‘do everything in time’.
‘You see, the EC needs to be ready to make preparations for holding the polls even in 90 days. What will happen if the Parliament is dissolved right at this moment? Then we will need to hold the polls in 90 days,’ he said.
-With New Age input
