EC has no objection of observers if FM gives VISA: Alamgir

Staff Reporter :
Election Commissioner (EC) Md Alamgir has said we do not feel any kind of pressure on the issue of the foreign or domestic observers.

If foreign ministry (FM) allows them with VISA then we have no problem.

He said it to newsmen at his office Nirbachan Bhavan in capital Agargaon on Sunday.

When asked do you feel any pressure over the invitation of foreign observers, he replied that they don’t feel any pressure.

Md Alamgir said why we will fell pressure. We clearly stated that foreign observers can come as much they want.

There is no limitation from our side. He also explained the process of getting permission of foreign observers VISA from the government.

“When foreign observers apply to us, we send it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs.

They also review whether applicants are actually observers, have been involved in observation in the past or not. They may be involved in human trafficking or other illegal activities. They see them.

After that, if the visa is granted, there is no objection from our side.”

Replying another query over this time vote will be conducted by Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) or ballot, he said this time the election will be by ballot.

As it happened before, it will happen this time too. We have some strategies that we will try to implement to ensure that there is no abuse in the ballot election.

For example, one of them is – we send the ballot papers on election day morning after taking office. If the communication system is not good or improved, send a little earlier.

We send ballots in the morning to those centers where communication is good and we can reach them before polling starts at 8 o’clock.

EC Alamgir said, as many elections as we have done on the ballot, the ballot has been sent in the morning. We may take such decisions in national elections as well.

We will identify the places where ballot paper can be sent in the morning and where it is not possible, we will send the ballot paper at night by special arrangement.

I will also take care that there is no misuse or robbery on the way.