Elections Free, Fair: No interference made it possible

The administration and law enforcers played a proactive role in ensuring a peaceful atmosphere during the Narayanganj City Corporation elections yesterday. 

And non-interference by the ruling party men, violence-free electioneering and cooperation from the candidates created the ground for such a clean and undisturbed election.

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Several Awami League leaders told The Daily Star that they had instructions from the party high-ups not to interfere in the polls.

AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said an example of a free, fair and impartial election has been set in Narayanganj.

“We were committed to holding a fair and credible Narayanganj City Corporation election and we've kept our promise -- every word of it,” Quader said at a post-polls press conference at party chief Sheikh Hasina's Dhanmondi office.

Election officials, voters and observers hailed the election as it saw no incident of ballot stuffing or capturing polling stations.

Polls observer BROTEE in a statement mentioned the role of the government, law enforcers and political parties in holding the peaceful election.

“Narayanganj City Corporation polls prove that quality election is possible when there is a concerted effort of the Election Commission, the government, political parties and candidates,” it also said.

When violence and intimidation have become commonplace in the country's polls, Narayanganj voters standing in long queues since morning exercised their franchise with enthusiasm and without fear.

Female voters, whose number was higher than males in many of the polling centres, were happy to see the violence-free ambience.

“In the last city corporation polls, I could not cast my vote. This time the election atmosphere is good … there are a large number of policemen too,” said Malati Rani Saha, a housewife, as she queued up at Joy Gobinda School Centre in Narayanganj Sadar.

Subrata Saha, who works for a sweetmeat shop in the city, said, “I have never seen in my life such a good voting atmosphere in Narayanganj. There is no chaos.”

Physically challenged Jumman Sheikh, a voter at Joy Gobinda School centre, said his brother carried him to the polling station. He was happy to cast his vote after long 10 years.

“I have never seen such a peaceful election in my life,” said Abdul Aziz, manager of a transport company, after casting vote at Narayanganj Women's College centre.

Seven mayoral candidates and 194 councillor candidates contested the NCC polls.

The Election Commission, which came under criticism following the January 5, 2014 one-sided parliamentary election and later for the electoral anomalies in different local government polls, said it deployed some 9,500 law enforcers to ensure security in the NCC polls.

There was no violence during the polls campaign, but many city dwellers had feared clashes on the election day. Pleasantly, that fear was proved wrong.

Talking to this newspaper, several dozen polling officers, voters and ruling party leaders said the role of law enforcers and administration were very much in favour of a peaceful election.   

“I was tasked with electoral duties on several occasions in the past but this is the first time I am able to carry out my duty fairly,” said a 41-year-old police official near Srama Kalyan polling centre in Bandar area.

“This is the fairest and freest election in history,” said Liakat Hossain, presiding officer of Siddhirganj Reboti Mohan Pilot School and College centre, who has experience of conducting at least eight other elections.

Mizanur Rahman, presiding officer of a polling centre at Mizmizi Paschimpara High School in Siddhirganj, said that in the previous years, field-level officials were “influenced”. Therefore, they couldn't carry out central instructions properly.

“But this year, the field-level officials were strict about the central instructions. As a result, no untoward incident took place,” he told The Daily Star.

“The voting was held so peacefully and fairly that it could be considered a model election for the remaining local body elections,” said Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaisarul Islam of Dhaka, who led a six-member team to the NCC polls.

He said they did not get any complaints of irregularities during the visit.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad yesterday thanked all, including law enforcers and the media, for their cooperation in holding the free, fair and credible election.

Addressing a press conference at the EC Secretariat in Dhaka, he mentioned that nine high officials of the EC were deployed to oversee the election. And additional law enforcers will remain active in the NCC area till today to maintain law and order.

Rakibuddin said candidates extended their cooperation in ensuring impartiality of the election. “An acceptable and credible election is possible if all political parties extend their helping hands,” he added.