Home Minister to US team: National election will be violence-free

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Wednesday said the visiting US pre-election monitoring team that the upcoming national election in Bangladesh will be free from violence.

“I don’t think that there will be any problem. We’ve told them that there were instances of violence in the 80s and 90s, the current situation in the country is different. We unquestionably told them that elections will be conducted in accordance with the constitution,” he added.

The US pre-election monitoring team wanted to know what would happen if a candidate feels insecure or if a party complains about obstruction during the election, he said while talking to reporters after a meeting with the team held at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

“They asked whether security could be provided to election candidates and whether opposition parties would be able to campaign properly if they participate in the polls. We have mentioned that the returning officers hold significant authority during the election. The election in a specific area will be conducted under their leadership. We thoroughly discussed this matter with them, including the power of the presiding officers,” he said.

In summary, they expressed their expectation for a successful election in Bangladesh, said the minister, adding that they inquired about the government’s plans if a candidate or a party feels insecure or faces obstacles in their electoral process.

The minister said that they told the visiting team that Bangladesh is currently free from violence and said: “We conveyed that the police, BGB, Coast Guard, and Ansar work to ensure violence-free elections. We told them that they have extensive experience in overseeing elections. The Election Commission has successfully conducted 5,300 elections, with security forces operating under its command during the electoral process. The well-trained police force understands how to manage elections, and incidents of violence are now rare in our country.

“We said that, under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's leadership, we have transformed Bangladesh into a country free from violence and terrorism. The rule of law has been established, and the prime minister is committed to ensuring free and fair elections. Transparent ballot boxes and voter lists with pictures have been introduced to eliminate corruption. Consequently, there is no longer any reason for concern about corruption in our electoral process,” he added.

Source: UNB