‘This time, there will be a fair election’ – CEC dismisses fears of rigged votes

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has firmly stated that there will be no rigged elections like before. The Election Commission will remain steadfast in its principles of justice and transparency and every candidate and stakeholder will get justice from the commission. He said that the main goal of the commission is to provide a credible, acceptable and participatory election.

The CEC spoke to reporters after inspecting the booths set up for accepting and rejecting nominations at the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat premises in Agargaon in the capital on Thursday (January 8) morning. At the time, he said that the petitions filed against the validity or rejection of nominations will be disposed of on a completely legal basis. No kind of bias or political pressure will be accepted.

The CEC also said that the Election Commission believes in transparency and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all—that is, a 'level playing field'. The entire process of hearing the appeal will be conducted openly and transparently. Each application will be thoroughly examined and a decision will be given according to the law, so that no one is treated unfairly.

According to Election Commission sources, the fourth day of appeals is underway on Thursday. Since morning, aggrieved candidates from different districts and regions of the country have been coming to the EC and submitting their applications. Some are hoping to get their nominations back, while others are appealing challenging the validity of the nomination of a rival candidate.

The EC said that appeals will be accepted until next Friday (January 9). Then, the appeal hearing will begin from Saturday (January 10) and will continue until January 18 (Sunday). A total of 295 appeals have already been submitted in the last three days, which indicates the activeness and interest of the candidates surrounding the election.

Overall, the Election Commission's statements and actions have raised new hopes for the transparency and credibility of the upcoming elections. It remains to be seen how effectively the implementation of that promise can be ensured at the field level.