The move is an obvious compromise between the popular demand for publishing a draft voter list and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) MA Aziz's staunch resistance to publication of a draft list. The latest back-pedalling by the EC on its previous statement is also evidently in line with its usual practice of creeping out of its intransigence after much controversy.

The EC decided to display the updated voter list for public inspection, so the people can lodge objections to correct the flaws on it. The process of settling claims and complaints about the voter list 'on display' is the same as the procedure for lodging complaints after publication of a draft voter list.

But the EC is not terming the 'voter list on display' as the draft voter list saying that the procedure being applied for updating the existing voter list does not allow publication of a draft list.

"The prepared voter list will be kept open for all...anybody can inspect it and can lodge objections, if they have any. After settling the objections and claims, if any is lodged, the voter list will be printed," Abdur Rashid Sarkar, the newly appointed secretary to the EC Secretariat told reporters at his office yesterday.

The secretary claimed, although there is no scope for publishing a draft voter list following the procedure being applied to update the electoral roll, the updated list will be displayed to prepare a flawless voter list.

Locally compiled updates on local voter lists, which will be done through door to door visits, will be in files at local election offices for the people to look into those if they want to.

Sources at the EC Secretariat said the commission in a meeting with CEC MA Aziz in the chair discussed the prevailing situation centring the EC's rigid position of not publishing the draft voter list.

Apart from the legal experts who already opined that the entire procedure of updating the voter list will become illegal again unless the draft voter list is published, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Moudud Ahmed also demanded publication of the draft list.

At the meeting the EC decided that the prepared voter list will be kept open for all, but it will not officially publish any draft list.

However, the system of 'displaying' the prepared voter list for public inspection is the same as the system of publishing the draft list.

According to the electoral laws, a draft voter list should be published and kept open for public inspection, inviting claims and objections from the people, and after settling the objections and claims, the final electoral roll should be published.

Although the EC took the decision to display the prepared voter list, it has yet to introduce a procedure to examine the authenticity of the applications for inclusions and deletions of names on the electoral roll. Distribution of the application forms and collection of the filled ones, both will be done by the assistant officials through door to door visits.

Asked whether the EC has any plan to introduce any procedure for examining the authenticity of the applications, the secretary referred the question to Mohammad Zakoria, in charge of additional secretary to the EC Secretariat.

Zakoria said it is not possible to examine the applications as the assistant officials will be busy making door to door visits.

"Assistant registration officers will however investigate any objection about the applications," Zakoria said.

About recruitment of assistant officials, the newly appointed secretary said, the district election officers, who were appointed as registration officers, have started recruiting the assistant officials.

"The appointment process will be completed by July 20, but the officials, who will be appointed today or tomorrow, can start making door to door visits immediately to update the voter list," Rashid Sarkar said yesterday.

On the expenditure of the ongoing task, the secretary said they have yet to prepare the budget. "We will prepare the budget after completing the recruitment," he said.

The newly appointed secretary sought cooperation from all political parties and cross-section of the people for getting the job done successfully.