Voting will be suspended nationwide in case of irregularities: CEC

Staff Reporter :
If the irregularities in the 12th national election cannot be effectively addressed, polling will be stopped across the country, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KaziHabibulAwal said on Thursday.

The Election Commission organised a workshop titled “12th JatiyaSangsad Elections: Role of Mass Media” at the conference room of Election Bhaban on Thursday (26 October).

At the workshop, IqbalSobhanChowdhury, editor of The Daily Observer, questioned the CEC, “You instructed the presiding officer to halt the voting in case of irregularities.

What measures would you take if the entire national election process is flawed?”

In response, KaziHabibulAwal said, “In such a scenario, I would have no choice but to suspend the election process across the
entire country.

Subsequently, new elections would be organised. We have to take this measure [if required].”

In July, the ‘Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2023’ was passed in with the key amendment authorising the Election Commission to postpone or cancel results or voting of one or more polling stations in any number of constituencies on polling day, but not the entire election to a constituency.

Emphasising the RPO amendment, the CEC said, “Take note of the significant provision we have introduced here.

The presiding officer holds a pivotal role as the head of their respective polling centre. In case I need to intervene, I will duly inform the presiding officer, who used to be my superior at that time.”

In his concluding speech at the workshop, HabibulAwal said, “We have instructed the presiding officers to diligently monitor the fairness of the election.

If irregularities emerge, they should make efforts to address the issues causing them.

If the issues persist, the presiding officer should promptly inform both the police and the magistrate.