CEC Awal// Gaibandha poll suspension was a ‘unanimous’ decision

//International Online Desk//

The chief election commissioner stresses that it was not an ‘impulsive’ decision just by himself

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal has cited irregularities as the reason behind the suspension of the bypoll to the Gaibandha-5 parliamentary constituency amid criticism from the members of the ruling party.

“We did not take an impulsive decision and it was not decided by the CEC, but by the Election Commission as a whole. The CEC doesn’t take any decision all by himself, it doesn’t work like that,” he said on Thursday.

Awal pointed out that the voting officials did not take “effective steps” against misconduct seen on CCTV cameras even after the authorities in Dhaka had asked them to.

Awal mentioned that the decision was taken “unanimously” by all election commissioners after “closely observing” what unfolded there.

The voting for the Gaibandha-5 (Saghata-Fulchhari) seat, which fell vacant after the death of Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah, began peacefully at 145 centres at 8 am on Wednesday.

As indiscipline began creeping in, the authorities in Dhaka, who kept a close watch on the feeds linked to the centres, suspended voting at 50 sites by noon before Awal announced pulling the plug around 2:30 pm.

It was the first poll for a parliamentary seat with the new EC in charge. The rare suspension of an election, already halfway through, evoked mixed feelings from political circles and election watchers.

Although the Jatiya Party lauded the EC’s decision, the Awami League questioned the move saying it could not perceive why the authorities halted the “trouble-free” proceedings.

Along with Election Commissioners Ahsan Habib Khan, Rashida Sultana and Md Alamgir, Awal appeared at a media briefing on Thursday to explain what kind of irregularities occurred, how the commission observed the situation and what led to the suspension.

On the reactions from the Awami League and other quarters, Awal said: “People might be a bit confused about our decision. We heard on talk shows that some were happy, some were frustrated and others protested or showed compassion. We need to provide an explanation.”

He said the chief election commissioner is “not synonymous” with the Election Commission. The CEC is one of the commissioners and cannot decide anything all by himself.