CITY CORPORATION ELECTION IN BANGLADESH-INTRODUCING EVOTING by EC

The Election Commission (EC) plans to introduce electronic voting machine (EVM) experimentally in the Narayanganj City Corporation polls.

The EC will hold the election within 180 days after formation of the corporation, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda said yesterday.

The government on May 5 declared the Narayanganj municipality as Narayanganj City Corporation and appointed its administrator on June 23 this year. As per the law, the election should be held before November 5.

The CEC said voters will get to know the system if it is introduced in different local government polls before the general election, which is due in 2014.

He made the remarks during talks with Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) as part of EC's ongoing dialogue with the registered political parties at the commission secretariat.

The EC on June 7 began dialogues with the political parties for their opinions on some key provisions of the Representation of the People Order, appointment of election commissioners and introduction of electronic voting machine.

However, BNP and its key ally Jamaat-e-Islami did not join the talks. BNP instead sent a letter to the EC as to why it is not joining the dialogue.

Asked about this, the CEC said: "We're preparing the answers. They [BNP] raised a number of issues in the letter. But the comments they made are baseless."

A six-member delegation led by BSD General Secretary Khalequzzaman attended yesterday's dialogue with the EC.

Khalequzzaman supported introduction of EVM but emphasised the need for removing technical faults to prevent vote rigging.