City corporation elections to be held after Ramadan: EC Masud

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud today said that city corporation elections at the local government level will be held after Ramadan. “We hope that city corporation elections will be held very soon, that is, immediately after the month of Ramadan. Before that, we have by-elections, the schedules of which have already been announced. Those will also be held in due time,” he said. He made this remark while speaking as the chief guest at a function of the executive committee election of Reporters’ Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED) held at the media centre of the Election Building in the capital’s Agargaon this noon.

The Election Commission will remain busy throughout the year or for multiple years with various upcoming local government elections, said Masud. He mentioned that the Election Commission is bound to hold free and fair elections in accordance with the law. “What the law will be is not the responsibility of the Election Commission. The parliament will enact the law, and whatever election-related law the parliament formulates, the Commission is responsible for holding free, acceptable and good elections in line with that law,” he added.

Talking about the Commission’s activities regarding the ongoing by-elections, he further said the Commission is waiting for the parliament’s decision on whether party symbols will be used in local government polls. Referring to the recently held 13th Jatiya Sangsad election and referendum, he said the Commission will examine the shortcomings of the polls, although the elections were held in a free and fair manner. At the time, Abdur Rahmanel Masud called upon journalists to perform their duties impartially while making constructive criticism of the Commission’s activities.