Bangladesh national flag. Getty image
New Delhi: The Election Commission in Bangladesh is struggling to have a voting system in place by using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). According to a report in the Dhaka Tribune, the remarks have been made as the project to procure EVMs for 150 constituencies, out of 300, for the 12th parliamentary election was not placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) meeting held recently.
The Election Commission is yet to clarify whether it will be using traditional ballot papers for all constituencies.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of opposition supporters rallied in Bangladesh’s capital last month to demand the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resign and install a caretaker before next general elections expected to be held in early 2024.
The supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, reached the protest venue in Dhaka overnight amid tight security while Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan warned of dire consequences in case of violence from the rally.
Hasina and her ruling Awami League party, which returned to power in 2018 for the third consecutive time, have repeatedly ruled out the opposition’s demand, saying a caretaker government goes against the spirit of the country’s constitution.
The rally in Dhaka was held during heightened tension after police stormed the party headquarters following clashes between police and opposition supporters on Wednesday, leaving at least one dead and 50 injured. Police arrested more than 400 opposition activists.
An election-time caretaker government system was introduced in the constitution in 1996 to oversee national elections, but it was nullified in 2011 under Hasina through passage of a constitutional amendment and after the Supreme Court ruled the system was contradictory to the constitution.
The BNP boycotted the election in 2014, and the results of the vote in 2018 were disputed because of allegations of vote rigging by the ruling party, which won with an overwhelming majority.
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