Election commissioner Zabed Ali said on Tuesday the Election Commission
might bring forward the time of deployment of troops to maintain law and
order in the run up to the polls slated for January 5 next year.
Meanwhile, the chief election commissioner, Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, said
the EC might reschedule the polling timeline if the rival political
camps come to a consensus over the polls.
‘Everything is possible if a political consensus is struck,’ said the CEC while leaving his office on Tuesday.
Earlier, Zabed Ali, while talking to reporters at his EC secretariat
office, said the EC would take a decision tomorrow on when the army
would be deployed.
‘I will be able to tell you the day after tomorrow how long the troops will be kept deployed and when they will be deployed.’
The election commissioner said, ‘We are likely to hold a meeting in a
day or two with the heads of law enforcement agencies, intelligence
agencies and other departments concerned and then we will be able to say
when the troops will be deployed.’
He said the troops would be deployed whenever it will be required.
‘We will take decision depending on the situation. If necessary, the deployment might be for a longer period.’
In the past elections, the troops were deployed for a maximum five days
and the deployment was made three days before the polls day.
Asked if law and order deteriorates further and if the election offices
continuously come under attack, he said he thought law enforcers would
be able to contain the situation.
‘There might be one or two isolated incidents of such attacks across the country and we will remain vigilant,’
Asked how the EC would be able to send its election materials to its
local offices if the strikes and blockades continue, the election
commissioner said the EC was making necessary measures so that it could
send the election materials to its local offices even if non-stop
general strikes and countrywide blockade continued.
When his attention was drawn to ongoing arrests of opposition activists
across the country, Zabed Ali said the EC has nothing to do in this
regard. ‘It is a routine work of the law enforcement agencies. We will
look into the matter only if it is related with the election.’
Asked whether the arrest of BNP leader ASM Hannan Shah would hamper the
path for creating a level playing field, Zabed Ali said the EC would
level the playing field only for the candidates, not for others.
Asked about the violation of electoral code of conduct by ruling party
men by taking out processions in favour of AL’s election symbol ‘boat’,
he posed a counter question how one would conduct campaign without
election symbol.
About the call of Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition alliance
to suspend the election schedule, the election commissioner said the EC
has no plan to do so. ‘We will rather call on all political parties to
join the election.’ (source)