Staff Reporter :
Electoral System Reform Commission Chief Dr Badiul Alam Majumder has said, “I did not find any obstacle for ousted Awami League (AL) to participate in the next parliamentary polls. To talk about the AL participation is not the matter of mine.”
He said this while talking to journalists in Rangpur Circuit House Conference Room in the city on Wednesday night.
Dr Alam assured that the upcoming national election will be held in a peaceful atmosphere and there will be no political interference in the polls.
“Free, fair, impartial and peaceful elections will be held in the country during the tenure of the present interim government.”
Majumder, also the founder secretary of ‘SHUJAN’ (Citizens for Good Governance), said there will be a level-playing field for all during the polls.
“The Election Commission (EC) will work neutrally and there will be no political interference. The deprived people will get back their voting rights,” he added.
Majumder observed that the High Court verdict to restore the non-party caretaker government system has opened an important door for returning to the democratic system.
“In the past, the Election Commission was under pressure during the party government. Now the Election Commission will be free from this,” he said. The head of the Electoral System Reform Commission said the interim government has taken various initiatives to make the people of the country election-oriented.
Mentioning that EVM machines were black boxes, he said, “This weak method is not for Bangladesh and the people did not accept it.”
Regarding the mass uprising of 2024, Badiul Alam Majumder said Rangpur’s Shaheed Abu Sayeed had added a new dimension to this revolution.
“Due to Abu Sayeed’s sacrifice, the movement gained momentum across the country and Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign. People across the country will remember his contribution with gratitude,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement has firmly rejected Badiul Alam’s statement claiming there are no restrictions on the Awami League’s participation in the upcoming elections. The group has demanded that Alam retract his comments without delay.
Spokesperson for the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Umama Fatema issued a press release on Thursday accusing the Awami League of being responsible for multiple mass killings in the country.
She said the Awami League has engaged in abduction, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and human rights violations over the past 16 years.
