EC still looks for political compromise: CEC

Polls schedule likely Monday
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Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on Sunday said the Election Commission is looking for a political compromise to resolve the ongoing political standoff between the two major political camps over the polls-time administration.

 

”The entire nation as well as you (media people) is looking for a political compromise…for a fair election. We (EC) are also looking for a compromise,” he told reporters at the EC secretariat while leaving office.

 

About the election schedule, the CEC said they will declare it after holding (Commission’s) a meeting in a day or two. The commission is yet to hold any meeting or take any decision over announcement of the election schedule.

 

Asked whether the commission waits for ice melting over the political stalemate before announcing the schedule, Rakibuddin said, “No, we have a constitutional obligation. We have a cut off date…January 24. We’ll announce the schedule in time.”

 

However, sources at the Commission said the schedule for the country’s 10th parliamentary elections is most likely to be declared on Monday.

 

The commission is now fully ready for announcing the election schedule any time as its secretariat sent the election code of conduct to the BG Press to publish it as gazette on Sunday noon.

 

Earlier in the morning, Election Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mobarak went to the Law Ministry as the Commission did not agree on some changes suggested in the vetting. Later, the code of conduct was sent for publishing.

 

The Commission had two meetings – one in the morning and another in the afternoon – to take decision on the election schedule announcement.

 

The commission is, however, tightlipped about the date of the election schedule.

Source: UNBConnect