‘Voter turnout in polls likely to exceed 55pc’

Diplomatic Correspondent:

Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain on Sunday said voter turnout in the upcoming 13th parliamentary poll was expected to exceed 55 per cent, higher than the 1991 election.

He also acknowledged that concerns over election-related violence persist, as they have in every poll.

He made the comments in response to a series of questions from journalists at the closing session of a two-day election reporting training workshop organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association Bangladesh (DCAB), with support from the UNDP and the Media Resources Development Initiative (MRDI), at a hotel in the capital. Replying to a question on turnout, Touhid said, “In the 1991 national election, voter turnout was 55 per cent. My assessment is that this time it will be more than 55 per cent.”

When asked whether the government was worried about election-time violence and whether a credible election could be held amid such concerns, he said no election in the country had ever been completely free of problems.
“There has always been some level of violence or disturbance in every election. This time, too, some isolated incidents have occurred. We have some worries. We are trying to address it,” he said.

He added, “Elections in our country are highly competitive. Even if political parties do not officially instigate violence, incidents can occur at the individual level. This is not new. It happens in every election, and we will continue trying to minimise such incidents and ensure a proper election.”

Touhid said the government had also briefed foreign diplomats on the steps taken to prevent election-related violence.

“Ensuring a credible and peaceful election is the most important thing. We believe the election will be completed peacefully and people will be able to exercise their voting rights without hindrance,” he said.

Responding to questions about campaigning around the “yes” and “no” vote, including reports that some leaders were urging people to vote “no” or stay away from polling centres, the adviser said there had initially been confusion.

“There were campaigns for ‘no’ votes, sometimes without proper understanding. It is very clear that the government wants the ‘yes’ vote to win,” he said.

He noted that Jamaat, NCP and a few other parties had openly campaigned for a “yes” vote, while there had been some ‘ambiguity’ among Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

“Some local leaders spoke in favour of ‘no’, while a few central leaders supported ‘yes’ but not very strongly. I am saying this in my personal capacity,” he said, adding that the confusion had now been resolved after the party’s chairperson “strongly and clearly” declared support for a “yes” vote.

Asked whether voters would carefully read and consider the conditions of referendum before voting, Touhid replied, “I don’t think people will go through all the conditions and then decide. There isn’t enough time or opportunity. In reality, people vote along party lines.”

He added that since the major parties were now aligned on the issue, he did not expect it to create major complications.

“Some people will not vote – that happens in every election. Whether the number will be higher this time, I cannot say,” he said.

He also said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no information so far about a possible visit to Japan by the Chief Adviser after the election.

On diplomatic passports, Touhid said some advisers had temporarily handed in their diplomatic passports to obtain visas quickly using ordinary passports, though he himself had not done so yet.

The event was addressed by UNDP Resident Representative Stefan Liller, MRDI Executive Director Hasibur Rahman, DCAB President AKM Moinuddin while DCAB General Secretary Emrul Kayesh conducted it.