United News of Bangladesh

Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah on Sunday said there is no scope for irregularities in the expatriate voting process. “Live verification has been made mandatory and intelligence agency members will be deployed to ensure ballot security,” he said at a views exchange meeting with law enforcement cell and digital and observation teams at Barishal Circuit House in the morning. The Election Commissioner said ballots used for expatriate voters will carry a total of 119 symbols which may require comparatively more time for opening envelopes and counting votes accurately. He said only the presiding officer will be allowed to carry a pen inside the polling centre while all other officials and concerned personnel will use pencils. Sanaullah said 10 magistrates will be deployed in each constituency during voting and the commission is particularly alert to prevent irregularities through mobile financial services. He said several meetings have already been held to stop vote buying and selling and a specific transaction limit will be set to monitor financial dealings. Read more: Chhatra Dal protests Jamaat Ameer’s anti-women remarks on X He also instructed officials involved in election management to refrain from accepting any form of hospitality and stressed the need to counter misinformation and rumours by quickly delivering accurate and verified information to the public. He said necessary measures will be taken to ensure voting rights for elderly, disabled and injured voters, and CCTV cameras will be installed in all districts and every polling centre to ensure transparency. On election neutrality, Sanaullah said the Election Commission will maintain a firm stance on honesty and impartiality and  there will be no distinction between large and small parties. He warned that any official found showing bias despite clear instructions will face strict consequences and all election-related personnel must carry out their duties with firmness and that no leniency will be shown where irregularities occur. The meeting was chaired by Barishal District Returning Officer Khairul Alam Suman. Superintendent of Police Farzana Islam, among others, was present. Read more: Tarique’s campaign set to move to Khulna, Jashore on Monday The EC, headed by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, introduced the IT-supported hybrid postal balloting system with the combination of digital registration and manual balloting for the first time in the country for the expatriate Bangladeshis living in more than 120 foreign countries.

Election Commissioner Brig Gen Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah (retd) said that the primary objective of the current commission is to ensure a free, fair, and impartial national election. The commissioner said this while addressing the inauguration of a day-long workshop titled 'Challenges in the voter registration process and ways to overcome challenges' at the Khulna CSS Ava Center on Thursday. He said the commission aims to create a comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date voter list. All-party meeting on July Declaration begins The Election Commissioner said that the voter list should be updated not only from designated locations but also through door-to-door efforts to collect voter information. “It is important to ensure that no one eligible to be a voter, especially women and the young generation, is left out of the list,” he added. He said attempting to register as a voter in multiple locations by concealing information is a crime and in the age of information technology, such acts cannot go unnoticed. EC Sanaullah said that the long struggle for democracy, the sacrifices made by  people, and the new hope for change are all tied to regaining the right to vote.  “Voting is a fundamental right, and it is closely linked to social stability, harmony, development, and the survival of the nation with honor,” he said. Ex-justice Rais Uddin made Administrative Appeals Tribunal chairman The Commissioner further said organising elections is a huge task that requires the involvement of all, especially in these changing times, and must be carried out with accuracy and impartiality. The workshop was chaired by Khulna Divisional Commissioner Md. Firoz Sarkar, with special guests including Additional Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat KM Ali Newaz, Khulna Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saiful Islam, Regional Election Officer Md. Humayun Kabir, and CBTEP Project Director Muhammad Mustafa Hasan.