The forthcoming Dhaka City elections
While the leading opposition parties, particularly the BNP, have expressed their reservations on the conduct of the DCC elections, that they have started selling nomination forms, indicates that they intend to participate in the elections. That notwithstanding, we feel the EC would do well to take cognizance of the reservation of the oppositions parties and address the concerns with diligence.
Needless to say, there are reservations in people's minds regarding quality of the elections held recently, including the national elections and some of the local elections before that. And in this regard the comments of one of the election commissioners on the election process deserve attention of the CEC, because those convey much more than what he said. He was referring to the three local elections held in Ghazipur, Khulna and Barisal last year. It is no secret that those three elections were far from being free and fair. And that it reflects the ability or indeed the preparedness of the commission to exercise its writ on the political parties in so far as elections are concerned.
We may not be remiss in thinking that to some of us election means the date of polling only, and the commission may be suffering from the same misperception. The electioneering process starts with the allotment of poll symbols and that is from when the EC must gear up its wherewithal to ensure that the level playing field it talks about so much applies to all the candidates. And it must take stern and timely action against the violators and not merely warn them. It is not that the commission is incapable of giving us free and fair elections. And one only has to look back to Sylhet, Cumilla and Narayanganj mayoral elections. It may not be a coincidence that in two of the three, opposition nominees carried the day. We believe this is another chance for the EC to redeem its image which it cannot afford to lose.
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