The EC now must perform its duties

After a long period of uncertainty regarding whether the 11th national elections would be held in time, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda Thursday declared the poll schedule. If no change comes to it, the elections will be conducted on 23 December. In any case, no one wants a repetition of January 5 elections of 2014 in which the BNP and the allied political parties did not participate.

The elections that time were not inclusive and the voters turn-out was very low. This time also, the poll schedule was declared without a consensus on the poll time government between the AL-led political alliance and Jatiyo Oikyofront. For CEC, as has been pointed out by him in his televised speech Thursday, it was a constitutional obligation to declare the poll schedule.

It is expected now that the political parties on the both side of the divide would shun the path of confrontation and participate in the forthcoming national election to make it meaningful. But declaring the poll schedule is only a rudimentary element of holding the election; the major challenges that lie before the Election Commission are in creating a level-playing field for the contending political parties and holding the elections in a free and fair manner.

The constitution of the country has given the Election Commission all the necessary powers to hold the elections in a free and fair manner. Through exercising these powers, it is expected that the EC, in the days ahead, would win the trust of not just the participating political parties but, even more crucially, the electorate.

Once the elections are held in a free and fair manner, then comes the crucial task of counting the votes. In doing this also, the EC is expected to be sincere and transparent all through. In short, the EC has three core responsibilities: creating a level-playing field, holding the election in a free and fair manner, and finally counting the votes and declaring the election outcome transparently.

But in a broader sense it is not only the EC that is responsible for ensuring a successful election. The administration and the law enforcing agencies, the participating political parties as well as the voters themselves—all have their own share of responsibilities to make the event  successful. But the EC must deliver on its core responsibilities.             

 

The EC now must perform its duties

After a long period of uncertainty regarding whether the 11th national elections would be held in time, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda Thursday declared the poll schedule. If no change comes to it, the elections will be conducted on 23 December. In any case, no one wants a repetition of January 5 elections of 2014 in which the BNP and the allied political parties did not participate. The elections that time were not inclusive and the voters turn-out was very low. This time also, the poll schedule was declared without a consensus on the poll time government between the AL-led political alliance and Jatiyo Oikyofront. For CEC, as has been pointed out by him in his televised speech Thursday, it was a constitutional obligation to declare the poll schedule. It is expected now that the political parties on the both side of the divide would shun the path of confrontation and participate in the forthcoming national election to make it meaningful. But declaring the poll schedule is only a rudimentary element of holding the election; the major challenges that lie before the Election Commission are in creating a level-playing field for the contending political parties and holding the elections in a free and fair manner. The constitution of the country has given the Election Commission all the necessary powers to hold the elections in a free and fair manner. Through exercising these powers, it is expected that the EC, in the days ahead, would win the trust of not just the participating political parties but, even more crucially, the electorate. Once the elections are held in a free and fair manner, then comes the crucial task of counting the votes. In doing this also, the EC is expected to be sincere and transparent all through. In short, the EC has three core responsibilities: creating a level-playing field, holding the election in a free and fair manner, and finally counting the votes and declaring the election outcome transparently. But in a broader sense it is not only the EC that is responsible for ensuring a successful election. The administration and the law enforcing agencies, the participating political parties as well as the voters themselvesall have their own share of responsibilities to make the event successful. But the EC must deliver on its core responsibilities.