The process of voting in the Mayoral elections on 30 December, 2015 began early at 8 a.m. amidst the fog and cold of the winter morning and ended up, as expected in a major victory for candidates with the Awami League banner. The number of voters in most polling centers however reduced significantly after about three hours. In some centers, there were very few voters after lunch during the afternoon. Nevertheless, the Election Commission, in a de-briefing on 31st December claimed that the voter turnout was about 73.92 per cent and that a total of 4,481,760 registered voters had cast their vote in the different Mayoral constituencies. Election Commission Deputy Secretary Shamsul Alam also indicated that the highest turnout for a Municipality was 92 per cent of registered voters and the lowest was 47 per cent.Municipal elections: A positive step forward
The prime minister, in this context has
also been correct to express her
appreciation for the BNP joining the
municipal elections and shunning the
politics of arson and destruction
Muhammad Zamir
The process of voting in the Mayoral elections on 30 December, 2015 began early at 8 a.m. amidst the fog and cold of the winter morning and ended up, as expected in a major victory for candidates with the Awami League banner. The number of voters in most polling centers however reduced significantly after about three hours. In some centers, there were very few voters after lunch during the afternoon. Nevertheless, the Election Commission, in a de-briefing on 31st December claimed that the voter turnout was about 73.92 per cent and that a total of 4,481,760 registered voters had cast their vote in the different Mayoral constituencies. Election Commission Deputy Secretary Shamsul Alam also indicated that the highest turnout for a Municipality was 92 per cent of registered voters and the lowest was 47 per cent.
Statistics revealed by the Election Commission a day before the vote had pointed out that the total number of Municipalities who would be participating in this local polls exercise would be 234. There were other statistics as well. There would be 943 Mayoral candidates, 8,746 Councillor Candidates and 2,480 candidates for Reserved Councillor seats. The total number of registered voters in these Mayoral constituencies was identified as about 7.1 million.
The interesting aspect however was the serious effort undertaken by the Election Commission and the administration to supervise the election effectively so that there would not be any post-election controversy. Accordingly, there were all together 67,233 Officials who performed the task of Returning Officers and Polling Officers in the 3,555 polling stations. There was also a composite total of 117, 304 personnel from the following law enforcement agencies- the BGB, RAB, Police and the Ansar. This was done to ensure that the voting would take place within a paradigm of security. It was an intensive effort indeed.
Unfortunately, the evolution of the electoral process started receiving the wrong kind of attention in the media from 29th December. It started with the revelation that 7 Mayors, 94 Councillors and 40 Councillors in the Reserved category had already been elected unopposed. This prompted some analysts to note that the Mayoral election process would be a repetition of what had happened in the context of the National polls in 2014. The Election Commission and senior Officials of the Awami League however reiterated that all efforts would be made to ensure that the elections were held in a credible and peaceful atmosphere. This aspect was emphasized because for the first time the Mayoral candidates were participating in the polls as representatives of different political parties. There were also some who had joined the fray as rebel independent candidates (to demonstrate their disagreement with the manner in which some candidates had been chosen by the two principal political parties- the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. This possibility of standing in the election as representative of some political party, with party affiliation, was however not possible in the case of candidates for the posts of Councillors.
It may be recalled that contenders for the post of Mayor in the 234 constituencies included 945 candidates - 234 from the Awami League, 223 from the BNP, 74 from the Jatiyo Party, 57 from Islamic Andolon Bangladesh, 21 from JSD, 17 from the NPP, 8 from the WPB, 6 from JP (Manju), 4 from CPBD, 12 from other Parties and 285 as Independents. Such a mix obviously led everyone to assume that the elections would be interesting.
The scenario on election day, the 30th December was monitored very carefully by both the print as well as the electronic media. Their active presence in different constituencies was unfortunately seen as a threat by some of the supporters of the different candidates. This led to at least 15 journalists being allegedly attacked and some being threatened at different polling stations in Habiganj, Sunamganj, Munshiganj, Thakurgaon, Natore and Mouvibazar. The attackers tried to vandalize the journalists cameras and in some cases even took away their mobile phones. Article 19, an international human rights organization working for the protection of freedom of expression covering the polling process in 266 polling centers of 67 Municipalities in 63 Districts have noted that at least 47 cases had come to their notice where journalists had been prevented by force from entering polling centers.
The Election Commission later explained that they in some cases stopped journalists from going into polling areas so that Officials responsible for credible polling could carry on their work in an uninterrupted manner without difficulties. The media of course differed with this explanation and charged that in these few centers they were obstructed from filming irregularities that were taking place. As expected, the Awami League and the BNP blamed each other for these incidents. It needs to be remembered here that the number of such reported incidents appear to be quite insignificant (less than 2 per cent), given the fact that the total number of polling stations was 3,555. Nevertheless, there should have been a more responsible approach in the treatment of the media. We must not forget that they are the agents for ensuring transparency and accountability.
In addition to the above, suggested irregularities carried out by different political parties led reportedly to thirty-six Mayoral candidates of different political parties , including one from the Awami League pulling out of the electoral race on the election day. They claimed that they had been forced to take this decision due to misuse of influence by some candidates through the local administration. Such allegations were however, as expected, refuted by both the Administration and also the Officials of the Election Commission. Both claimed that the polls had been free and fair.
The Election Commission has since mentioned that results in 227 Municipalities out of 233 indicate that the Awami League has bagged 177 Mayoral positions, the BNP had won 22, the Jatiyo Party had been victorious in 1 and the rebel Independent candidates had won 27. The Election Commission has also announced that they had, in the interest of proper election, postponed polling in 50 polling stations, - including 12 polling stations in Madhabdi of Narsingdi, 10 stations in Chaumuhani in Noakhali, four in Syedpur of Nilphamari, three each in Thakurgaon, Jamalpur and in Chandanaish in Chittagong, two each in Ulipur of Kurigram and Kalkini of Madaripur and one each in the Districts of Mymensingh, Comilla, Narail, Patuakhali, Jamalpur, Faridpur, Chandpur, Shariatpur, Barguna and Jessore.
It was also revealed that one person had been killed and about 30 others injured in intra-party and inter-party related violence.
The BNP, as expected, has rejected the results of the Mayoral elections. They have also asked for the resignation of those responsible in the Election Commission for holding the Mayoral polls and alleged that they have failed to uphold their constitutional responsibilities. The Jatiyo Party has also accused the ruling party activists of forcing the people out of polling stations and the Election Commission for their lack of impartiality. Both of these political parties have also underlined the need for impartial investigation and inquiry in the polling centers where irregularities (including alleged stuffing of ballot boxes) had taken place. They have also mentioned that if the complaints are found to be true, then the results need to be quashed and steps taken for fresh voting in the affected centers. The Election Commission needs to be pro-active with such complaints and take suitable action on such grievances (if submitted in writing) by examining the evidence in a totally impartial manner and then publishing the result of their investigation in the media. This will help to restore credibility and confidence in this Institution.
Nevertheless, the Awami League has judged results from the broader perspective. They have claimed that barring some unfortunate transgressions, the polls were held in a participatory and credible manner that included live transmission and monitoring of the polls by the electronic media. This aspect was proof of sincere intentions on the part of those who helped to initiate the process of this latest election.
The prime minister, in this context has also been correct to express her appreciation for the BNP joining the municipal elections and shunning the politics of arson and destruction. This attitude on the part of this major political party should encourage them to also refrain from any negative, violent or disruptive demonstrations on the 5th of January on the anniversary of the January 5, 2014 general parliamentary elections. That is essential for any future constructive engagement within the domestic political arena.
The writer, a former Ambassador, is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.He can be reached at [email protected]
