United News of Bangladesh

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (retd) on Wednesday urged election officials and law enforcement personnel to perform their duties with honesty, integrity and sincerity, reminding them of the tragic consequences of fascism. He made the remarks at a meeting on law and order organised by the Khulna Divisional Administration at the conference room of the Khulna Divisional Commissioner’s office to ensure the smooth conduct of the national election and referendum–2026. Over the past 16 years, the adviser said, fascism had taken root through cloudy and biased election processes, in which state machinery was misused. He said people’s voting rights were taken away through a dictatorial system, leading to the establishment of autocracy and fascist structures. Referring to the 2024 mass uprising led by students to end fascism, he said many of those involved in the process were part of the government machinery and are now facing legal consequences, including dismissal, exile, imprisonment and prosecution. Expressing hope that all concerned would learn from the past, he called on officials to discharge their responsibilities properly in the upcoming national elections scheduled for February 12. Addressing election officials and members of law enforcement agencies, the adviser said the expectations of the people and political parties regarding the election are very high. Jahangir Alam stressed that ensuring a credible election rests largely on their shoulders. He warned that even a minor mistake or irregularity could damage the image of the election and the country, and said strict action would be taken against returning officers, assistant returning officers, presiding officers and others concerned if any irregularities or ballot box snatching occur. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said a Central Law and Order Coordination Cell has already been formed at the Ministry of Home Affairs to monitor the overall election situation. Representatives of law enforcement agencies will be stationed there to ensure quick information sharing and rapid response to any emerging situation. He also said the Election Security App–2026, developed by the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC), would play an effective role in maintaining law and order. The app will connect law enforcement agencies, election officials and the ministry’s central control room to receive and resolve complaints swiftly. The adviser instructed authorities to issue entry passes quickly to election observers and ensure journalists are provided identity cards and full cooperation. He said the law and order situation on polling day must be improved so that voters can cast their votes in a joyful and festive atmosphere. BGB Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, RAB Director General AKM Shahidur Rahman and Bangladesh Police Additional IGP (Crime and Ops) Khandaker Rafiqul Islam spoke as special guests at the meeting, chaired by Home Ministry Senior Secretary Nasimul Gani.

The Council of Advisers on Thursday approved the draft of the Election Officials (Special Provision) (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 in a bid to empower the Election Commission (EC) with stronger authority to take punitive actions against election officials in cases of irregularities and negligence in polls duty. Besides, the Council also approved the draft of Election Commission Secretariat (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 with a view to establishing an ‘Election Commission Service’ for recruiting officials for the EC Secretariat and expanding their functions. The approval came from the Council’s meeting chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the Chief Adviser’s Office in the capital. “Due to the two proposed laws, the works of the Election Commission will speed up ahead of the election. And they (EC) will be able to take many measures very quickly,” Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said while briefing reporters at the Foreign Service Academy after the meeting.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Friday said they want 100 percent neutral behaviour from the election officials in the upcoming national election, which is going to be the most risky one. “..this Commission's bottom line is professionalism and neutrality. You must send out this message,” he said pointing at the participants of an election training programme in the city. The CEC said this while inaugurating the two-day training for core trainers at the Electoral Training Institute (ETI) in Agargaon on the occasion of the 13th parliamentary election. Some 80 core trainers are participating in the two-day training programme, who will later provide training to TOTs (Trainers of Trainers) ahead of the upcoming national election to be held before next Ramadan in February 2026. Pointing at the election officials, the CEC said, “We want 100 percent neutral behaviour.” The CEC asked them to be ready to face new challenges like to check abuse of social media, misinformation and disinformation alongside the law and order challenge in the upcoming election. Noting that the education of this training is morality, he asked the participants to uphold the morality always. Doubts remain in public mind over next election: Gayeshwar Election Commission Abdur Rahmanel Masud stressed the need for performing the election duty by the officials following the constitution and the electoral laws. He said there is no scope to discharge election duty beyond the laws and the constitution. “Whether I can carry out the responsibility entrusted to me properly in line with the laws, which could be the only thing that should be the matter of our consideration,” he said pointing at the election officials. “There is no alternative to holding a fair election this time,” he added. Next election to be most risky: Anwar Islam Sarker Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker warned the election officials that the next general election would be the most risky compared to any election in the past. So, there is no alternative way or second option to overcome this challenge of holding a fair election, he said. “The slogan of the upcoming election can be: 'Presiding officers will be the nucleus of the election',” he said, adding that some 50,000 presiding officers will be required for the election, who should be inspired to play key roles for holding a fair election. “We must be firmly committed that we have to hold a good election,” he said. December cut-off time for next election: Khosru    Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abdul Fazal Md Sanaullah said the Election Commission for the first time is going to ensure the voting rights of expatriate Bangladeshis in the upcoming national election. “We hope this time there will be a significant turnout of expatriate voters…A huge enthusiasm is being seen among them to exercise their voting rights,” he said. Election Commissioner Tahmida Ahmad said the 80 participants are the masters of 5,000-6,000 TOTs who will later train some 10,00,000 polling officers for the next election. EC senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed presided over the inaugural event, while ETI Director General SM Asaduzzaman delivered the welcome speech.

The Appellate Division has scrapped a decade-old judgment  pronounced by the Administrative Appellate Tribunal, due to which 85 upazila election officials who were recruited during the BNP-Jamaat alliance government won’t be getting their jobs back. A six-member bench headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddiqui pronounced the judgment on Thursday, accepting the state’s appeal against the tribunal’s decision. During the hearing, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Additional Attorney Generals Sheikh Mohammad Morshed and Mohammad Mehedi Hasan stood for the state, while lawyers AF Hasan Arif, Prabir Niyogi, Salah Uddin Dolon and Kamrul Haque Siddiqui represented the plaintiffs. According to the court, the BNP-Jamaat government appointed a total of 327 upazila election officials through the Public Service Commission (PSC) on September 3, 2005. The recruitment stirred widespread controversy which led to an evaluation of the officials by the caretaker government in 2007. The evaluation resulted in dismissal of 85 election officials. Read: Labour law violation: Appellate Division to hear Dr Yunus’s petition on Oct 17 The sacked officials filed a case against the government decision with the Administrative Appellate Tribunal and got rejected. However, on April 12, 2010, the tribunal accepted an appeal filed by the ex-election officials and pronounced a judgment in favor of their reinstatement. The prosecution filed a total of four leave to appeal after the tribunal’s judgment, based on which a chamber court of the Appellate Division  stayed the effectiveness of the tribunal’s judgment and sent the case to a full bench of the Appellate Division on April 29, 2010.   In 2011, the prosecution filed another appeal, which started the hearing process that was concluded on August 28, 2022.