PM wants good polls, AL team informs EC

The Election Commission (EC) yesterday said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed it to hold fair polls. “A delegation of the Awami League (AL) met us today. Their party chief and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh assured us that she wants good polls. The PM has directed all to hold good elections. We have welcomed the directive,” election commissioner Md Shah Nawaz told journalists at his office at the EC Secretariat in the capital.
“We have told the delegation’s members that they should inform their leaders and workers at the grassroots level not to do engage in anything excessive and not to be involved in any sort of terror-related activities,” he said.
The commissioner said no guilty person would be spared, whichever party they might belong to, if found involved in terror-related activities. “We want to hold fair elections. We have directed the law enforcement agencies to be strict against those who prevent voters from casting votes. It is an illegal act to prevent voters and no one committing such crimes will be spared,” he said in reply to a query. Replying to a query on poll-related violence, Shah Nawaz said, “Not many people died on the day of elections. They died fighting among themselves. We should see whether or not the law enforcement personnel are working properly.”
“If the law enforcers and election officers show any negligence of duty or indulge in violence, we would not spare them,” he added.
The commissioner said the EC has drawn lessons from the previous two phases of the UP polls, hoping that the next phases of polls would be peaceful.  “We did not take any additional measures with regard to the law enforcers, as they have drawn lessons about those who could be involved in terror activities in elections,” he added. The election commissioner urged the voters to cast their votes without any fear as it has made necessary preparations.
Earlier, the AL delegation—led by its joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif—urged the EC to hold the UP polls by preventing any sort of irregularities and violence, as the Prime Minister wants this.
Hanif sopke to reporters after giving the PM’s message to the chief election commissioner (CEC), Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, at the EC Secretariat.  “The Prime Minister does not want to see any irregularities and flaws in the elections. She has issued stern directives in this regard. We have given her directive to the EC,” he said.

PM wants good polls, AL team informs EC

The Election Commission (EC) yesterday said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed it to hold fair polls. A delegation of the Awami League (AL) met us today. Their party chief and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh assured us that she wants good polls. The PM has directed all to hold good elections. We have welcomed the directive, election commissioner Md Shah Nawaz told journalists at his office at the EC Secretariat in the capital. We have told the delegations members that they should inform their leaders and workers at the grassroots level not to do engage in anything excessive and not to be involved in any sort of terror-related activities, he said. The commissioner said no guilty person would be spared, whichever party they might belong to, if found involved in terror-related activities. We want to hold fair elections. We have directed the law enforcement agencies to be strict against those who prevent voters from casting votes. It is an illegal act to prevent voters and no one committing such crimes will be spared, he said in reply to a query. Replying to a query on poll-related violence, Shah Nawaz said, Not many people died on the day of elections. They died fighting among themselves. We should see whether or not the law enforcement personnel are working properly. If the law enforcers and election officers show any negligence of duty or indulge in violence, we would not spare them, he added. The commissioner said the EC has drawn lessons from the previous two phases of the UP polls, hoping that the next phases of polls would be peaceful. We did not take any additional measures with regard to the law enforcers, as they have drawn lessons about those who could be involved in terror activities in elections, he added. The election commissioner urged the voters to cast their votes without any fear as it has made necessary preparations. Earlier, the AL delegationled by its joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanifurged the EC to hold the UP polls by preventing any sort of irregularities and violence, as the Prime Minister wants this. Hanif sopke to reporters after giving the PMs message to the chief election commissioner (CEC), Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, at the EC Secretariat. The Prime Minister does not want to see any irregularities and flaws in the elections. She has issued stern directives in this regard. We have given her directive to the EC, he said.