BanglaBhoot
RETIRED TTA
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2007
- Messages
- 8,839
- Reaction score
- 5
- Country
- Location
The Election Commission on Monday announced the schedule for the 10th parliamentary polls setting January 5 as the polling day.
The chief election commissioner, Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, announced the election schedule in a televised address to the nation Monday evening.
‘We waited until today for a political consensus. But we have no more time to spare as we are constitutionally bound to hold the 10th parliamentary polls by January 24, 2014 and that is why we are announcing the election schedule today,’ said Rakibuddin in his recorded address to the nation.
The CEC made a clarion call on all political parties to come to an understanding over the polls in the greater interest of the country and its people.
In his address, the CEC said the aspiring candidates could collect nomination papers and submit them until December 2.
Returning officers would scrutinise the nomination papers in December 5- 6. The candidates would be able to withdraw their candidatures until December 13 while the EC would allocate election symbols on December 14.
The schedules for almost all past general elections except the 2008 polls were announced at media briefings at the EC secretariat, but this time the CEC skipped such briefing and announced the schedule in a televised address.
He said the EC would deploy army troops to maintain law and order during the polls to ensure the security of the voters.
The BNP-led opposition, which has long been in movement for restoration of the caretaker government to
oversee the parliamentary polls, said it would not only boycott the ‘unilateral’ polls, but would also resist it.
However, it was widely believed that BNP’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had been engaged in a backstage parley with the ruling Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam ostensibly to reach a consensus.
Security in the EC secretariat was tightened on Monday with deployment of addition law enforcers, including Rapid Action Battalion.
The EC secretariat set up an additional archway at its entrance while law enforcers were seen frisking people at the main entrance to the commission compound.
Security was also beefed up across the country shortly after the announcement of the election schedule fearing vandalism. The authorities have deployed paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh at places around the country.
According to the electoral code of conduct for the political parties and candidates in the parliamentary polls, the candidates would begin electioneering three weeks before the polling day.
Accordingly, the candidates would not be able to start election campaigns before getting their election symbols.
A total of 9,19,66,290 voters – of them 4,58,42,972 women – are eligible to exercise their franchise this time to elect their representatives in parliament.
‘As the two major political alliances have not reached a consensus yet over the nature of the election-time government, we have put some poll-time restrictions on the government-privileged VIPs like ministers for a level playing field,’ the CEC said.
Urging all political parties and their men to strictly follow the electoral code of conduct, the CEC said the commission would take ‘tough action’ against those who would breach the code irrespective of their identities.
‘I want to announce emphatically that none will be spared in enforcing the electoral code of conduct,’ he added.
He also asked the polling officers to work neutrally without fear or favour saying the EC would ensure ‘all security’ for them.
‘You will ignore all unjust and illegal demands,’ the CEC asked the polling officers.
Rakibuddin called on all stakeholders to cooperate with the commission in holding a free, fair, transparent, credible and participatory election claiming that the commission was acting neutrally and fairly.
‘We want to assure all the voters that the president, the poll-time government as well as the Election Commission are resolute to do whatever is necessary to ensure security of the voters.’
‘We will do everything possible so that the voters can go to the polling stations and return home after exercising their franchise without fear,’ he said.
‘The poll will be held peacefully Inshallah. We will in no way allow the voters to be hostage to terrorism, hooliganism and muscle power,’ he said.
The EC would set up about 1,89,000 polling booths in about 38,000 polling stations across the country. About six lakh polling officials will be engaged in conducting the polls.
The EC has appointed 66 returning officers for conducting the polls to 300 parliamentary constituencies. All deputy commissioners of the 64 districts will discharge the duty of returning officer in their respective district and the divisional commissioners of Dhaka and Chittagong will act as returning officer in Dhaka and Chittagong metropolitan areas.
The EC has appointed 577 assistant returning officers for the poll. All the Thana Nirbahi Officers, assistant commissioners (land) in some upazilas and 16 district election officers in some upazilas have been appointed as the assistant returning officers.
The EC expects that about one lakh local observers and 3,000 foreign observers will oversee the polls.
According to EC estimation, the parliamentary elections would cost about Tk 500 crore – of the amount about Tk 280 crore would be spent for the purpose of law enforcement.
The ninth parliamentary election was held on December 29 in 2008 under the military-backed caretaker government, which the Awami League won with a three-fourths majority.
JS polls on Jan 5
The chief election commissioner, Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, announced the election schedule in a televised address to the nation Monday evening.
‘We waited until today for a political consensus. But we have no more time to spare as we are constitutionally bound to hold the 10th parliamentary polls by January 24, 2014 and that is why we are announcing the election schedule today,’ said Rakibuddin in his recorded address to the nation.
The CEC made a clarion call on all political parties to come to an understanding over the polls in the greater interest of the country and its people.
In his address, the CEC said the aspiring candidates could collect nomination papers and submit them until December 2.
Returning officers would scrutinise the nomination papers in December 5- 6. The candidates would be able to withdraw their candidatures until December 13 while the EC would allocate election symbols on December 14.
The schedules for almost all past general elections except the 2008 polls were announced at media briefings at the EC secretariat, but this time the CEC skipped such briefing and announced the schedule in a televised address.
He said the EC would deploy army troops to maintain law and order during the polls to ensure the security of the voters.
The BNP-led opposition, which has long been in movement for restoration of the caretaker government to
oversee the parliamentary polls, said it would not only boycott the ‘unilateral’ polls, but would also resist it.
However, it was widely believed that BNP’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had been engaged in a backstage parley with the ruling Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam ostensibly to reach a consensus.
Security in the EC secretariat was tightened on Monday with deployment of addition law enforcers, including Rapid Action Battalion.
The EC secretariat set up an additional archway at its entrance while law enforcers were seen frisking people at the main entrance to the commission compound.
Security was also beefed up across the country shortly after the announcement of the election schedule fearing vandalism. The authorities have deployed paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh at places around the country.
According to the electoral code of conduct for the political parties and candidates in the parliamentary polls, the candidates would begin electioneering three weeks before the polling day.
Accordingly, the candidates would not be able to start election campaigns before getting their election symbols.
A total of 9,19,66,290 voters – of them 4,58,42,972 women – are eligible to exercise their franchise this time to elect their representatives in parliament.
‘As the two major political alliances have not reached a consensus yet over the nature of the election-time government, we have put some poll-time restrictions on the government-privileged VIPs like ministers for a level playing field,’ the CEC said.
Urging all political parties and their men to strictly follow the electoral code of conduct, the CEC said the commission would take ‘tough action’ against those who would breach the code irrespective of their identities.
‘I want to announce emphatically that none will be spared in enforcing the electoral code of conduct,’ he added.
He also asked the polling officers to work neutrally without fear or favour saying the EC would ensure ‘all security’ for them.
‘You will ignore all unjust and illegal demands,’ the CEC asked the polling officers.
Rakibuddin called on all stakeholders to cooperate with the commission in holding a free, fair, transparent, credible and participatory election claiming that the commission was acting neutrally and fairly.
‘We want to assure all the voters that the president, the poll-time government as well as the Election Commission are resolute to do whatever is necessary to ensure security of the voters.’
‘We will do everything possible so that the voters can go to the polling stations and return home after exercising their franchise without fear,’ he said.
‘The poll will be held peacefully Inshallah. We will in no way allow the voters to be hostage to terrorism, hooliganism and muscle power,’ he said.
The EC would set up about 1,89,000 polling booths in about 38,000 polling stations across the country. About six lakh polling officials will be engaged in conducting the polls.
The EC has appointed 66 returning officers for conducting the polls to 300 parliamentary constituencies. All deputy commissioners of the 64 districts will discharge the duty of returning officer in their respective district and the divisional commissioners of Dhaka and Chittagong will act as returning officer in Dhaka and Chittagong metropolitan areas.
The EC has appointed 577 assistant returning officers for the poll. All the Thana Nirbahi Officers, assistant commissioners (land) in some upazilas and 16 district election officers in some upazilas have been appointed as the assistant returning officers.
The EC expects that about one lakh local observers and 3,000 foreign observers will oversee the polls.
According to EC estimation, the parliamentary elections would cost about Tk 500 crore – of the amount about Tk 280 crore would be spent for the purpose of law enforcement.
The ninth parliamentary election was held on December 29 in 2008 under the military-backed caretaker government, which the Awami League won with a three-fourths majority.
JS polls on Jan 5
