Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah has affirmed that no concessions will be granted in any matter to ensure the upcoming election and referendum are fair and participatory.
He made these remarks at a meeting of the Law Enforcement Cell, Vigilance, and Observation Team at 11am on Tuesday at the Noakhali Deputy Commissioner’s conference room
Md Sanaullah emphasised a zero-tolerance policy regarding electoral rules. “We will not give any concessions on any matter,” he stated. He further clarified that if any voter fails to follow the proper procedures while casting their vote, their ballot will be cancelled.
Regarding postal ballots, he explained that they would be divided into two categories: those for expatriates and those for domestic use. He noted that while general and postal ballots will be counted together, the processing of postal ballots might take additional time as each ballot contains 119 symbols.
Election Commission’s (EC) primary objective is to ensure that every citizen can exercise their right to vote. Md Sanaullah called upon all relevant authorities to ensure that no voter faces obstacles and to maintain a festive atmosphere during the polling process.
He specifically urged for the creation of an environment where all voters, regardless of age or gender, can cast their ballots without hindrance. For expatriate voters, he noted that they must confirm where they have voted by showing the symbol to the relevant agents during the balloting process.
Deputy Commissioner Mohammod Shafiqul Islam chaired the meeting. Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs), election officials, and senior representatives from various law enforcement and defence agencies, including the Army, Police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Navy, Coast Guard, and Ansar were also present.
