'Alhamdulillah, we are satisfied'
The Election Commission yesterday claimed the fourth-phase upazila elections were free, fair and peaceful, though four people were killed and more than 150 injured in violence during the voting.
"Barring stray incidents of violence, the voting was fair and peaceful. Alhamdulillah, we are satisfied with the voting atmosphere," said Election Commissioner Abdul Mobarak, who is discharging duties of Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, now abroad.
Candidates' desperate attempts to secure victory led to violence in some places, Mobarak said while briefing reporters after the voting ended.
Asked about the EC's response to the allegations of vote rigging, he said the commission had taken 20 allegations into cognisance and directed the authorities concerned to investigate the incidents.
If any candidate has objection to the results, he/she should file a complaint with the election tribunal in his upazila, seeking a recount of ballots, the election commissioner said.
"We do not have jurisdiction to do the recount."
Mobarak also categorically rejected media reports that the army personnel had been given magisterial power for election duty. They had been asked to take instant actions to prevent violence, he said.
He sought cooperation from political parties and candidates and asked them to obey the electoral code of conduct to minimise violence in the next phases.
Referring to newspaper reports on CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad's overseas visit, Mobarak said the media was spreading confusion.
Some reports questioned if there was any misunderstanding between the government and the CEC, because of which he is staying abroad at the time of upazila elections.
Mobarak said the EC had not been facing any problem due to the CEC's absence as it could make any decision based on the majority opinions of the commissioners.
Officials of the EC Secretariat, assigned to gather information about election environment, told The Daily Star they had watched TV reports on vote rigging and irregularities of polling officials and law enforcers but did not receive any allegation from the returning officers concerned.
Even the returning officers in the districts where violence was deadlier reported that the voting had mostly been fair and peaceful. If returning officers do not file written allegations, the commission cannot take any action, the officials added.
"However, some candidates filed allegations of vote rigging. We placed the allegations before the commissioners. They took some of the allegations into cognisance," said a senior assistant secretary of the EC.
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