Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Thursday said Bangladesh has set out on the path of democracy and expressed hope that the ‘train of democracy’ will reach its destination.

He made the remarks while talking to reporters after casting his vote at Eskaton Garden High School polling centre in the capital.

The CEC said public confidence in the Election Commission is already being restored through the current polls. “If trust has not returned, so many people would not have come to the polling centres.”

Referring to past elections, he said, “You have seen previous elections where even stray dogs were seen at polling centres. Today, there are no dogs in sight, there are only voters and voters everywhere.”

CEC Nasir Uddin reaffirms commitment to peaceful, credible elections

Nasir Uddin said around 17 lakh people including nearly 950,000 law enforcement personnel and about 800,000 polling officials have been engaged in conducting the election.

“Bringing 17 lakh people together in a coordinated way  is an enormous task. Just imagine how challenging it is,” he said.

He said all personnel were given election-oriented training before deployment.

This is perhaps one of the largest coordination efforts undertaken in the country, he added.

The CEC said the Commission has overcome all challenges so far with the cooperation of stakeholders and remains prepared to tackle any further challenges.

CEC urges cooperation for peaceful, credible election

“We are neither for nor against anyone. We have only tried to create a peaceful and fair electoral environment. I believe we have succeeded,” he said.

Nasir Uddin also said the country must move past the history of staged elections, ballot box snatching and centre occupation. We must forget those chapters, he added

He mentioned that 254 million ballot papers were printed and distributed across the country, calling it a gigantic task.