Chief Election Commissioner(CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal said that the Election Commission is determined to ensue free and fair elections.
This was said by the Chief Election Commissioner while talking to the journalists after a discussion meeting with concerned officers, executive magistrates and law enforcement officers on the occasion of the Barisal City Corporation elections in the circuit house of Barisal Nagar on Sunday (May 28) afternoon.
He said, the instructions to the law and order forces are that the election should be fair and law and order should be maintained. If they are up to the challenge then that is up to them.
But we will not tolerate it. If there is any challenge, you have to face it, if there is any disruption of law and order; they (forces) have to take the responsibility. We believe they have that professional capacity.
The CEC said that the aim of our election commission is that voters come to vote in any election without fear and they enter the polling station and exercise their right to vote freely.
Whom they will vote for, who wins, who lost is none of our business. But we are committed to fulfilling the responsibility of ensuring the voting rights of the voters.
Kazi Habibul Awal said, "We have done a good election, but many people will not believe it." There should be a transparency or acceptance of whether the election was good or not.
That's why the media will take pictures, show them, they will collect information, they will broadcast. In this, the people will know how free and impartial the election has been through the media.
He said, we have discussed with the administration, we have discussed the instructions given by the Election Commission. Law and order should be maintained during the election, and the electoral code of conduct should be implemented. Candidates should follow them and see if they are followed, if not forced to follow them.
The CEC said that the environment on the election day should be kept favorable so that men and women can freely exercise their right to vote in the elections to be held in the coming days.
At that time Election Commissioner Ahsan Habib Khan, Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat Jahangir Alam, Barishal Divisional Commissioner Amin Ul Ahsan, Barishal Range DIG SM Aktaruzzaman, Barisal Metropolitan Police Commissioner Saiful Islam, RAB-8 Barishal Commander Lt. Colonel Mahamudul Hasan, Deputy Commissioner of Barishal Jahangir Hossain, City Election Returning Officer Humayun Kabir and senior administration officials were present.