Admin gets desperate, trying to influence polls, he says
Senior BNP lawmaker Barrister Moudud Ahmed on Tuesday said in Parliament that the government has got desperate to have the results of the Gazipur City Corporation elections in favour of the pro-ruling alliance candidate and demanded army deployment to ensure fair polls.
“The administration has got reckless. All the government officials have fully got engaged in the election process. If there’s any government influence, the election can’t be held in a fair manner,” he told the House standing on a point of order.
The election to the Gazipur City Corporation is billed for July 6.
Moudud, also BNP Standing Committee member, criticised the Election Commission for its role and said, “The EC is an incapable and inefficient institution…it can’t work independently under a party-government.”
The BNP lawmaker also alleged that most of the Presiding Officers are Awami League supporters.
He expressed concern over the delay in handing over charges to the elected mayors in four city corporations -– Barisal, Sylhet, Khulna and Rajshahi — by administering oath to them, and demanded immediate steps for their swearing in.
Moudud said: “It took 12 days to publish the gazette. Now it’s said the charges will be handed over in October when the tenures of the outgoing mayors are scheduled to expire. If so, why the elections were held so early?”
In reply, treasury bench senior lawmaker Tofail Ahmed said the present government has proved that elections can be held in a free, fair and credible manner under the party-government.
“Four city corporation elections were held without army deployment. The polls were held peacefully and fairly. We don’t think there’s any need for army deployment in Gazipur. But it’s the Election Commission that will take the decision,” he said.
Source: UNB Connect
