EC must translate its warning into action

Somehow, we are not so surprised. In fact, the campaign for this by-election has been dogged by controversies since the day one. First, the mysterious death of Suman in custody, a key witness to the murder of Awami League MP Ahsanullah Master, the father of the opposition candidate in the fray came as a big jolt casting a shadow as it did over the run-up to the poll. There has not been any significant progress in the inquiry, with the government remaining tightlipped over it. All this is part of an election atmosphere that may not bode too well for the outcome.

At one stage, even the civil surgeon of Gazipur was publicly alleged to have been campaigning for the ruling coalition candidate which rightly made the Election Commission put its foot down on the wayward official.

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We hope the EC would not confine itself to merely condemning and cautioning the law breakers but go beyond it. Unless the acting CEC translates his warnings into action, the helplessness and impotence of the institution would only be a glaring reality. This is perhaps another signal for strengthening the EC with adequate reforms. Meanwhile, with the by-election only a few days away, the EC must ensure that there is no further violation of the electoral code of conduct.