EC pledged-bound to hold free, fair, impartial election: CEC

The Election Commission (EC) is pledge-bound to hold a free, fair, and neutral election for restoring the voting rights of 18 crore people of the country, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said today.

"There is no scope for working in stereotypical methods, as EC's commitment is to present a free, fair, and credible election from which the voters have remained deprived for a long time," he said while inaugurating a training of trainers for the enumerators and supervisors of the voter list updating programme at the Electoral Training Institute in the city's Agargaon.

Nasir Uddin said, "We have taken the responsibility to remove the deprivation of voters in exercising their voting rights. I want to eradicate the pain of those who have been denied their voting rights."

Acknowledging the interim government's exceptional circumstances, the CEC said this is a transitional period, and the expectations of the countrymen from both the government and the Election Commission are enormous.

Mentioning that many of the reforms of the caretaker government in 1996 have not been implemented, he said currently reforms are needed in various legal frameworks.

"We are working towards those goals in line with the recommendation of the reform commission," he added.

Countrywide door-to-door data collection of the possible voters will begin on 20 January, he said, seeking everyone's cooperation in this regard.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahman El Masud stressed an accurate voter list, calling it a prerequisite for a free, fair, and neutral election. 

"We must work with utmost caution and diligence while updating the voter list," he said.

Election Commissioner Tahmina Ahmed said the commission will not take responsibility if any EC official acts maliciously.

Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarker vowed that the current commission would do whatever is needed to restore the credibility of elections.

Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said, "No one should participate in the voter list inclusion process with the motive of earning money. We must work equally in the case of dead voters, fake voters, and new voters."