Security tightened, EC confirms full preparedness for 12 Feb elections

As Bangladesh stands on the threshold of voting in the 13th national election and a referendum, the Election Commission has said it has completed all preparations, adding that the overall law and order situation remains satisfactory.

The commission said comprehensive arrangements covering security deployment, policing, monitoring mechanisms and technological surveillance have been put in place nationwide to ensure a peaceful and credible vote.

According to the EC, the upcoming polls will see the largest-ever deployment of law enforcement personnel and the most extensive use of technology in the country's electoral history, aimed at preventing violence and maintaining discipline at polling centres.

Speaking at a briefing at the EC building yesterday, Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said the commission is fully prepared to conduct the election.

"We are satisfied with the overall law and order situation," he said, while acknowledging that a few isolated and undesirable incidents occurred after the election schedule was announced.

Election analysts, however, cautioned that strict vigilance must be maintained through polling day.

Jasmine Tuli, member of the Electoral Reform Commission and former additional secretary of the EC Secretariat, told The Business Standard that maintaining law and order should now be the commission's top priority.

"If any major violent incident occurs on polling day, the entire election could be called into question. Incidents like the recent one in Bogura would certainly be a cause for concern," she said.

She added that the credibility of the polls would be significantly strengthened if there were no incidents of ballot snatching, centre capture or clashes outside polling stations, and if results are announced promptly after voting concludes.

Commissioner Sanaullah said more than 850 illegal firearms have been recovered nationwide in recent weeks, underscoring law enforcers' efforts to curb violence. He urged political parties, candidates and voters to help ensure a peaceful and festive election environment.

Meanwhile, at the inauguration of a Media Centre for foreign journalists at InterContinental Dhaka yesterday, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said voting would take place in 299 constituencies, with all ballot papers and election materials already dispatched.

A total of 42,958 polling centres have been set up across the country, including 42,659 for in-person voting and 299 for postal ballot counting. The EC has identified nearly half of the centres as important or high-risk.

Three-tier security system

Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam said 8,770 polling centres have been identified as risky, with a three-tier security system to be enforced at every centre.

Briefing journalists at the Police Headquarters Media Centre yesterday, he said Bangladesh has 42,779 polling centres, of which 8,770 are risky, 16,000 moderately risky, and the rest general.

To maintain security, 187,603 police personnel, nearly six lakh Ansar members, Border Guard Bangladesh personnel, and about one lakh members of the armed forces will be deployed.

The three-tier system includes static forces at polling centres, mobile patrol teams in surrounding areas, and striking forces on standby to respond to emergencies.

Since 11 December, 317 election-related violent incidents have been reported nationwide, leaving 613 people injured and five killed, the IGP said.

"Even a single death is unfortunate. We made every effort so that no death would take place. Some incidents did occur, and those are now under investigation," he added.

Responding to reports of a list of criminals and shooters, Baharul said he was unaware of such a list but stressed that no group could disrupt an election in a country of 18 crore people.

Law and order and technology

Around 9.58 lakh members of law enforcement agencies have been deployed nationwide, along with 2,100 executive magistrates and 657 judicial magistrates.

For the first time, the election will feature the use of drones (UAVs), body-worn cameras and extensive CCTV surveillance. 

The EC said CCTV coverage has been ensured at more than 90% of polling centres.

More than 1,000 mobile courts are operating across the country to ensure compliance with electoral laws. Executive magistrates, supported by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel and other law enforcement agencies, are conducting patrols and inspecting polling centres nationwide.

Vote counting and results

Votes for the parliamentary election and the referendum will be counted simultaneously. After centre-level preliminary results are announced, they will be transmitted to the EC through returning officers. 

The commission expects results from most constituencies to be available by midnight.

Asked about voter turnout, Sanaullah said the EC would not speculate but expressed optimism based on public enthusiasm.

"Just look at the trains leaving Dhaka today. So many people are travelling home only to cast their votes. Everything has turned festive," he said.

The EC has also directed that voter turnout data be published every two hours during polling.

Under a directive issued on Monday by EC Senior Assistant Secretary Md Shahidul Islam, data entry operators appointed by assistant returning officers will enter polling centre-based turnout figures into the Election Management System (EMS) every two hours. 

The data will be verified and approved before being displayed on the EC's Kopot Dashboard for real-time monitoring.