EC finalises RPO amendment move with use of EVMs in national polls

The election commission on Thursday finalised a proposal for amendment to a relevant law to pave the way for use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the national elections pending in December.

Chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda informed newsmen of the commission’s decision after a meeting at Nirbachan Bhaban, from where an election commissioner Mahbub Talukdar came out in protest against such a move.

People Representative Order (RPO) needs to be amended to legalise use of EVMs and the amendment proposal must be enacted by parliament.

Amid criticism and controversies surrounding the move to introduce EVMs before the next parliamentary polls, the election commission organised Thursday’s meeting to finalise this very proposal.

However, election commissioner Mahbub Talukdar left the meeting giving a note of decent within half an hour of the beginning at 11:00am, sources there said.

CEC Nurul Huda said the proposal to amend RPO would be sent to the law ministry for vetting. After the approval in the cabinet, the RPO amendment bill will be placed in parliament, he added.

If the bill is passed, EVMs will be exhibited across the country, he said adding the matter of use of EVMs in the polls will be discussed among the political parties.

Huda, a former bureaucrat, said, “It is not certain that EVMs will be used in the next parliament elections.”

“We have got a positive result by using EVMs in the local government elections. We have proposed to amend RPO so that we can use EVMs in parliament elections in case of necessity,” Nurul Huda said.

He said it is not decided that EVMs would be used in the elections. “But the EC has decided that EVMs would be used once the political parties agree,” the CEC explained.

On commissioner Mahbub Talukdar’s note of decent, Nurul Huda said he has the right to have a different opinion.

Speaking to newsmen, Mahbub Talukdar said, “I am against the use of EVMs in the next parliament elections.”

“I do not want amendment of RPO for using EVMs in the parliament elections. After my note of decent, they will finalise the proposal of RPO amendment and I will sit idle. It does not look good.”

The sudden move, less than two months before the announcement of the election schedule in October, has been questioned by the political parties.

The opposition parties wonder if 150,000 EVMs will be procured just to serve vested quarters, especially when they do not have the capacity to make the best use of them. Some of the election commissioners also pointed out it is not the right time to plan the use of EVMs in the national elections. This would create controversy, they added.

The BNP on Thursday termed the election commission’s plan to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in next general elections as a collaborative scheme with Awami League to rig polls.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the ruling party is up to mischief, as it has lost all its confidence in the people.

“Losing confidence in the people, the Awami League is now banking on machines (EVMs). The plan to use EVMs is an unholy partnership of the Awami League and the election commission,” the BNP leader said.

He gave his reaction to the EC’s most recent initiative to use EVMs without consultating the people and the political parties, addressing a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.

Mirza Fakhrul alleged that the AL and the EC have undertaken the scheme in order to manipulate the election process.

Left Democratic Alliance of eight parties at a press conference on Wednesday said most of the political parties are against use of electronic voting machines (EVMs), a move taken unilaterally by the election commission.

The election commission’s plan at the last moment to use EVMs in the next election raises serious doubts in the public mind, the left party leaders added.

They also alleged that the people fear the use of EVMs will favour the ruling party to digitally rig votes.

The ruling Awami League, however, said that it would accept the commission's decision.

At a programme in Gazipur on Thursday, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader said the ruling party is in favour of using EVMs in the next parliament elections.

He also said many countries in the world use EVMs in the elections to save time and money.

The EC has already started a five-year Tk 38 billion project on procurement of 150,000 EVMs with Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory (BMTF) being tasked to supply the machines. The EC was to hold a meeting of the project evaluation committee on 19 August, but it was not eventually held.

Despite the impasse, the Trust Bank got a special permission from the Bangladesh Bank to open a letter of credit (L/C) for procurement of the EVMs.

Official documents say the BMTF would buy the machines and other machinaries from China, Hong Kong and other countries. Till date, L/Cs worth over Tk 7 billion have been opened. Around Tk 26.96 billion would be spent to buy the machines.