Turnout around 40pc in 12th national election: CEC

Chief election commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal thinks turnout in the just concluded election is around 40 per cent.

But he said he is not certain if the turnout is really so as the whole picture is not clear yet.

The CEC said the turnout may vary as the counting is yet to be completed. The CEC made the remark at a press conference at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon after the voting ended.

The CEC said the EC does not claim to have done very well in the election but it tried its best.

Earlier the EC secretary Md Jahangir Alam told the journalists that voter turnout was 26.37 per cent as of 3:00pm. The voting ended at 4:00pm. However, he told the journalists that the turnout might vary a little as the information of all areas were not available.

The voting in the 12th parliamentary election began at 8:00am and ended at 4:00pm.

Turnout was over 87 per cent in the ninth parliamentary election in 2008.