KHULNA, Dec 13, 2024 (BSS) - Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, head of the Electoral System Reform Commission, on Friday said they would make recommendations after reviewing all aspects of the electoral system for holding a free, fair and credible election.

“The election system of Bangladesh has been collapsed...Electoral Reform Commission has been formed aimed at how the fair election system will be returned in the country through reform,” he said.

Dr Alam made the remarks while exchanging views with cross section of people including teachers, community leaders and NGO representatives about the electoral reform system at the deputy commissioner’s conference room in the city.

“It is our responsibility to submit a report after taking stakeholders views. It is the time for thinking about how an Electoral Reform Commission will be capable of performing independently and effectively,” he said.

In this connection, he said the commission will identify the barriers for the sake of holding a free, fair and credible election.

“We will review all aspects of the electoral system and prepare recommendations based on it. But it is not our responsibility to implement it,” he said.

Laying emphasis on preparing a correct voter list, he said irregularities are found in the current voter list as women voters were reduced considerably in the list.

“Holding a free, fair and credible election will be hampered in absence of a correct voter list…stakeholders’ suggestion is crucial for preparing a correct voter list,” he added.
 
Terming the last three parliament elections as controversial, he said that the then election commission has broken their oath of office by conducting such controversial polls.

Members of the Election Reform Commission Mir Nadia Nivin, Sadik Arman, Khulna Divisional Commissioner Md Firoz Sarkar, and Legislative and joint Secretary of Parliament Affairs Md Mahbubur Rahman and Khulna Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saiful Islam, among others, addressed the meeting.

Leaders of the Citizen Forum, Teachers, Women and NGO representatives, elite, election officers, law enforcement members, political leaders and other stakeholders also placed their recommendations at the meeting.