CEC Huda not embarrassed
Outgoing Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda yesterday said they have had successes but at the same time failed to earn the confidence of many political parties and fully contain the polls violence.
He also said the commission members had worked hard to fulfil their responsibilities and were "not embarrassed" by the commission's performance over the last five years.
He was addressing his last press conference at the EC office.
About allegations of ballot stuffing on the night before the last national election and queries about 100 percent turnouts in many centres, the CEC once again said the commission could do nothing as no aggrieved person had gone to court.
Asked if their activities and operations would embarrass them after their tenure, Nurul Huda said, "There will be no embarrassment. We did not have any shortcomings in holding legal elections. So, there is no embarrassment or weaknesses."
He said the EC led by him has tried its best to perform its functions and faced many challenges while in office. "We succeeded in overcoming those challenges."
Huda said the EC under him has held 6,690 elections and completed work outside routine and taken steps to revise electoral laws and rules.
He said that holding all the elections was a challenge for them amid the pandemic.
The EC was successful in performing its three functions -- holding parliamentary elections, delimitation of constituencies and preparation of electoral rolls, he added.
"We could not fully contain polls violence and deaths; we are sorry for that," he said.
"We have tried to earn the confidence of all political parties, gave them plenty of time, listened to them. Now after hearing their statements, I don't think many of them are satisfied and see that we could not win their confidence."
The CEC refuted the allegations that the election atmosphere was destroyed and the 2018 national election during their tenure was the "worst one", saying more than 70 percent people cast votes and candidates with different symbols won in the election.
"How was the election system destroyed?" he asked. "I don't know."
"There were debates over the Election Commission in the past; I hope there will be no debate over the commission in the future."
Huda said there may have been some irregularities involving field officials while conducting elections, but they have taken steps whenever wrongdoing was proved in probe.
Asked about numerous allegations of ballot stuffing on the night before election day, he once again refuted it by saying no returning officers or the media reported it.
At this point, Election Commissioner Rafiqul Islam said they have talked with chiefs of different political parties on December 30, 2018, when the parliamentary polls were held and they said elections were being held "wonderfully". One of them is now bringing allegations.
Huda said once the returning officer sends results and it is published in gazettes, the EC has nothing to do. "Then someone could have gone to court. I urged them to go to court, but they did not."
The CEC said he still thinks the aggrieved candidates could have gone to court.
Asked why the EC did not probe the matter that cent percent votes were cast in many polling stations in the last general election, he said, "It was abnormal and now the EC cannot do anything. After the publishing of the gazettes on winning candidates, the matter is not in the hands of the EC; it is now a matter for the court."
Queried why the EC had not stopped the latest Barishal City Corporation elections although Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar wanted them to be postponed in the wake of allegations of irregularities, Huda said they had not received any complaints from the returning officer.
"We have asked Mahbub Talukdar to give it in writing, and on that basis, we could have stopped the election … it was about 4:20pm by the time Mahbub Talukdar gave the report. By then there was no way to stop the whole election," he said.
He said eminent citizens had brought "false and fabricated" allegations of corruption and misconduct against the EC.
Election Commissioner Kabita Khanam also spoke at the press conference. Commissioner Mahbub did not join it even though he was at the EC office, while another commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Shahadat Hossain could not be present as he was Covid-19 positive.
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