Staff Reporter :
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM NasirUddin said that the reforms that are urgent and those fall under the jurisdiction of Election Commission (EC) could be implemented by the commission itself on an emergency basis before the election.
He made the remarks on Thursday while briefing the reporters after a meeting with the newly appointed Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Susan Ryle, at the EC office in Agargaon.
The CEC said, “Some reforms are linked to political matters. These are beyond the scope of the Election Commission. Reforms that are related to political matters will be done by the national consensus commission.” He also said that the meeting discussed preparations for the 13th National Election and to what extent the EC has been able to implement the recommendations of the Electoral Reform Commission.
However, he mentioned that Australia has expressed its willingness to assist the EC in the upcoming national election.
After the meeting, CEC NasirUddin said, “They (Australia) inquired about our preparations for the next parliamentary election, whether we are satisfied with it. They also asked about reforms. We informed them about the reforms that are underway. They said that if we seek assistance, they are ready to support us. She (the Australian High Commissioner) assured us of all possible and necessary support.”
He added, “We have completed the work on the voter list. We’ve initiated the procurement process. We also informed her about the initiative we’ve taken regarding the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies.”
“We informed them that the deadline for party registration has been extended by two months and that changes are being made to the electoral code of conduct, as well as the observer policy. We briefed the Australian High Commissioner on all essential election-related activities.”
Susan Ryle said, “I had a very productive meeting with the election commission (EC). As Bangladesh is moving towards open, free and fair election, Australia stands by Bangladesh.”
“We continue to work with you as best we can to support your efforts,” she added.
