Nothing has happened to prevent holding election in February: Election commissioner Anwarul
Election commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar has said that “nothing has occurred yet that could prevent the national election from being held in February.”
“Many things are being discussed in the media, but I hope none of these will affect our election. The election will be held in February, before the month of Ramadan,” he added.
Anwarul Islam made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists after addressing a training session on ‘Enhancing the skills and capacity of police to effectively discharge electoral duties’ at the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Lines Conference Hall on Sunday morning.
Speaking about the electoral symbol of the National Citizen Party, the election commissioner said, “According to the symbol allocation regulations, a symbol must be chosen from among the approved list. As the election commission is a constitutional body, it acts strictly within the law. Therefore, if a particular symbol is not on our authorised list, the commission cannot allocate it.”
Pressed on whether there were any challenges in holding the election, Anwarul Islam replied, “We are receiving extensive assurances of cooperation from all security and defence agencies, including the Army, Air Force, Navy, Police, and Coast Guard. With such support, we do not foresee any challenges.”
On questions regarding the election method or a possible referendum, the commissioner declined to comment, saying that these were “matters of political decision.”
In response to a question about the possibility of the Bangladesh Awami League’s participation in the election, Anwarul Islam stated, “The activities of the party in question (the Awami League) are currently suspended by law. A suspension means all of their activities remain suspended.”
Asked whether individuals previously accused of misconduct in past elections would again be involved in electoral duties, the election commissioner said, “No controversial individuals will be allowed to take part in the election process.”
Elaborating the issue, he stated, “We are in the process of introducing several stricter legal provisions. Under these, we will empower the field administration to the fullest extent—from cancelling nominations and suspending voting at a polling centre, to annulling the results of an entire constituency if necessary. Presiding officers must be able to perform their duties safely and independently.”
Earlier, in his address at the training event, the election commissioner emphasised the commission’s impartial stance, saying, “To ensure that the next generation can live in a democratic environment, the election commission will tolerate no bias and will speak for no one’s interest. We want the police, magistrates, presiding officers, military personnel, and divisional officers to perform their respective duties in strict accordance with the law. The election commission’s clear message is this: we are neutral, and we will never bow to injustice.”
The programme was attended by Sylhet Metropolitan Police commissioner Abdul Kudduch Chowdhury, the regional election officer of Sylhet, the superintendent of police, and other members of the police force.