City polls not fair
Transparency International Bangladesh yesterday said the April 28 city polls were not free, fair and impartial as there were numerous incidents of ballot-box stuffing.
“Awami League leaders and activists were engaged in vote-rigging, occupying polling centres, stuffing ballot boxes and some other irregularities to ensure victory for party favourites,” said a TIB study.
Even the law enforcement agencies in some polling centres directly assisted in vote-rigging, added the study which was released at the TIB office in the capital's Dhanmondi.
Some lawmakers also exerted their influence within the polling centres to occupy them. The Election Commission failed to work independently, said the graft watchdog.
The study was carried out on nine mayor and 101 councillor hopefuls in 28 general wards of Dhaka north, Dhaka south and Chittagong city corporations. The wards were selected randomly from the total 134 in the two cities. The TIB had deployed several teams in the cities to monitor electioneering and polling.
Speaking at the programme, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said, “After a review of the overall situation, it appears that a level playing field was not created for all…. The role of the Election Commission has been called into question. The commission couldn't perform its duty properly.”
The BNP's role was confusing as it was not clear whether the party had actually joined the polls race or contested the elections just to prove that a fair election was not possible under the incumbent government, mentioned Iftekharuzzaman.
It has been found that the BNP didn't actively participate in the polls. In most of the cases, polling agents of the BNP-backed candidates were not present at the polling centres, he noted.
Former chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda said the EC is responsible for all the irregularities committed during elections. It must play an impartial role to ensure fair polls. “We all should demand a strong, efficient and qualified Election Commission for holding fair polls in future.”
Huda thought the use of electronic voting machines would have minimised irregularities in elections.
On holding national polls under a political government, he said, “A fair election under a partisan government is definitely possible if all the state institutions functioned properly…. Under such a situation, a caretaker government won't be a necessity.”
TIB Programme Manager (research and policy) Rezaul Karim said mayor aspirants on an average spent around Tk2.20 crore in Dhaka south, Tk1.60 crore in Dhaka north and Tk2.70 crore in Chittagong.
However, the ceiling of the polls expenditure for mayor hopefuls was set at Tk30 lakh in Dhaka south, Tk50 lakh in Dhaka north and Tk30 lakh in Chittagong, according to the electoral law.
A mayor hopeful in Chittagong spent Tk6.47 crore, some 21 times more than the permissible limit of expenditure.
AL-backed councillor aspirants on an average spent over Tk23 lakh and Tk26 lakh in Dhaka and Chittagong, while the BNP backed-candidates over Tk9 and Tk11 lakh. The ceiling of poll expenses of a councillor contender was fixed at Tk6 lakh.
Chittagong mayor aspirants had to pay Tk20 lakh to Tk7 crore and councillor hopefuls Tk2 lakh to Tk5 lakh for getting support from parties.
However, no information about such financial dealings was found as regards the nominations of mayor in Dhaka. The councillor hopefuls in two general wards in the capital had paid Tk1 lakh to Tk8 lakh for this purpose.
The money was either paid to the top party leaders or to party fund, local lawmakers and government bodies, according to the study.
Mayor aspirants and councillor hopefuls in women's reserved seats spent money mostly on printing posters and leaflets, while the general ward councillor aspirants on setting up electoral camps and running them.
Political parties publicly extended support to candidates and forced many party activists to quit electoral race in violation of electoral laws. Such acts also go against the spirit of local government polls, said TIB.
Around 58 percent of the candidates (in 28 wards) violated the electoral code of conduct, found the study.
TIB programme managers (research and policy) Taslima Akhter and Dipu Roy were present, among others.
TOFAIL BLASTS TIB
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday said some organisations, including the TIB, always come up with negative news.
Talking to reporters at his secretariat office, he questioned, “Have they ever come up with any praiseworthy statement on any issue?”
“If the city elections were not free and fair, how the BNP and Jamaat favourites were elected as councillors?”
Out of 93 general wards in two Dhaka city corporations, AL-backed councillor aspirants won in 59 wards, BNP favourites in eight and the rebels of the AL, BNP and other political parties in the rest 26.
In the 41 wards of Chittagong, AL-backed councillor hopefuls won in 35, BNP favourites in five and the Jamaat-backed contender in one.
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