The Election Commission (EC) has decided to reinstate the “No Vote” provision. At the same time, it has also decided that journalists will be allowed to remain present inside polling centres during vote counting, but they will not be allowed to leave in the middle.
Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah announced these decisions at a press conference on Monday.
He said, “The ‘No Vote’ provision has been reinstated for the 13th National Parliamentary Election. The EC has restored its authority to cancel election results. The army, navy, and coast guard may be deployed to maintain law and order during the national election.”
“All provisions related to EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) have been cancelled. Penalties have been introduced for violations of the code of conduct,” he added.
Md Sanaullah said, “If any candidate’s affidavit contains false information, the EC will be able to take action against them even if they are elected.”