Election will be challenging, sudden attacks may occur: Chief Adviser

Chief Adviser of the interim government Professor Muhammad Yunus has expressed concern that attempts to derail the upcoming election may come from powerful quarters.

“Forces from both inside and outside will try to sabotage the election. These won’t be small, scattered efforts—they will come with major strength. Sudden attacks may occur. This election will be challenging. No matter how many storms come our way, we must overcome them,” Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam quoted the chief adviser as saying today.

The first coordination meeting ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus was held today, Wednesday, at Jamuna. Later in the afternoon, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters about the meeting’s discussions at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

In response to a question, the Press Secretary said that by “attacks,” the Chief Adviser did not mean only physical assaults, but also cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns on social media. Those associated with the fallen autocratic regime and its allies do not want a free and fair election in this country. Everyone has been asked to remain vigilant.

According to the Press Secretary, the two-hour meeting focused on four key issues--the posting of field administration officials, law and order situation, training of election-related personnel, and ways to counter misinformation on social media.

The Press Secretary said that in the field administration—particularly positions like DC, ADC, and UNO, including those with judicial responsibilities—no one who had been involved in the last three elections will be assigned this time. Even those who had a minor role in those elections will not be assigned this time.

Posting decisions will take into account each officer’s political affiliations, physical fitness, professional competence, and any media reports of irregularities.

He said the most capable officials will be assigned to the most sensitive areas. However, no one will be posted in their home district or that of their in-laws.

It will also be ensured that no one is posted where their relatives are contesting in the election, said Shafiqul Alam. The posting process will begin on 1 November.

He added that the Adviser for Home Affairs informed the meeting that similar measures are being taken for police postings, and lists of Superintendents of Police (SPs) for all 64 districts have already been prepared.

On the deployment of law enforcement agencies, the Press Secretary said that the army will deploy 90,000 personnel, with an additional 2,000 from the navy. Each district will have one army company.

Discussions were also held on how to maintain law and order before and after the election, he said.

Two committees to counter fake news and disinformation
Regarding social media, the Press Secretary said that the meeting discussed forming two committees to counter fake news and disinformation during the election. Both committees will work down to the upazila level and will verify and publish fact-checks on misinformation immediately.

The ICT and Cultural Affairs ministries have been instructed to provide technical support, and there will be discussions with Facebook authorities as well, he said.

The Press Secretary said that the meeting also discussed the training of officials, particularly the need to strengthen the training of Ansar members and to include instruction on using body-worn cameras. Training videos and materials should be uploaded to the Election Commission’s website, BTV, or Parliament TV by 15 November, he said.

Since Parliament TV is currently unused due to the absence of parliamentary sessions, the EC plans to use it for election-related outreach and education.

In response to a question about whether a specific election date was discussed, the Press Secretary said that the EC has said it will announce the date in the first week of December.

When asked whether there is anything to worry about Chief Adviser’s warning of sabotage attempts, Shafiqul Alam replied, “There’s nothing to be alarmed about. This will be one of the best elections in Bangladesh’s history.”