Is EC capable of holding fair polls?

The visiting US pre-election assessment mission has enquired of the Election Commission how they would ensure "control" over election officials, including the field level administration officials, and law enforcers during the next general election.

Top EC secretariat officials, who attended a meeting between the US mission and the commission at its office yesterday, said that the delegation also wanted to know about the commission's competence to hold the election in a free and fair manner.

At the meeting, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal told the US team that the commission wants free, fair and participatory elections, and that it held dialogues with political parties sans those who "turned down" the invitation to join talks.

The BNP and several other opposition parties skipped the EC's dialogue with political parties last year. The commission in March this year had invited BNP to an informal discussion, but the party didn't turn up.

"The discussion focused on a free, fair, participatory and peaceful election," Habibul told reporters after the meeting yesterday.

The US mission of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) is now on a six-day visit to Bangladesh to know about the election preparations and conduct an independent and impartial assessment.

After ending its activities, the visiting team will issue a statement on its key findings, analysis of the pre-election environment and other issues, the IRI and NDI said earlier in a joint press statement.

The 12th parliamentary polls are likely to be held early January next year.

Several meeting sources said the US mission enquired how the law and order is maintained during an election.

The CEC in the meeting talked about the commission's activities. He said the commission believes that if an election is held in a participatory manner, a kind of balance can be maintained.

Habibul and other election commissioners presented details of the legal powers the EC has during the election. They said presiding officers are empowered to stop voting if they feel that the situation is not conducive to continuing voting. Election results are announced from the polling centres and votes are counted in front of the candidates or polling agents appointed by them.

The US delegation wanted to know what actions the EC can take if any official performing election duties does not follow its directives. In reply, the CEC said the EC writes to the offices concerned informing them about those officials and the offices can take actions in this regard.

Habibul at the briefing said the US team enquired the roles of the EC and the government during the elections and also how the commission coordinate with the government during the polls.

"We presented before them the whole election process. We have been able to explain everything to them," he said.

The US mission's visit is taking place about three weeks after the European Union announced that it will not send a fully-fledged election observation team for the Bangladesh general election.