Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed has stated that the Election Commission’s (EC) position regarding the “shapla” symbol issue remains unchanged. The EC secretary made these remarks in response to journalists’ questions at the Election Commission building on Tuesday.
He said, “The EC’s position on the ‘shapla’ symbol issue remains the same. Since the election conduct rules do not have any provision for allocating national symbols, there is no way to give it as a party symbol either. We have sent a letter to the National Citizen Party (NCP) asking them to inform us about an alternative symbol of their choice by October 19. If they do not inform us by the 19th, the Election Commission will decide on this matter based on its own discretion.”
When asked if this would create instability in the political arena, the EC Secretary said, “That is a matter of time; only time will tell.”
In response to a question about whether there is any legal barrier to including the shapla symbol, he said, “Based on the situation, environment, and necessity, the Election Commission believes it is not necessary to include the shapla symbol.”
In response to a question about the public referendum and the PR system, the EC secretary said, “It is not the time to comment on this right now. When the Election Commission makes a formal decision on this matter, it will be announced.” He further said, “The same applies to the public referendum. As long as nothing is formally communicated to the Election Commission on this matter, there is no room for comment. Because the Election Commission is primarily responsible for conducting elections; decisions on such matters also come from other relevant sources.”
Akhtar Ahmed said, “No matter regarding when a public referendum will be held, or whether it will be held at all, has been presented to the Election Commission so far. I have no opportunity to speak on a matter that has not been presented.”
He said, “We have already completed several preparatory stages, and some more preparatory phases are currently ongoing. Preparations for various local government elections will also be taken up after the national election. That is, this is an ongoing process.”
Akhtar Ahmed further said, “Regarding the local observers, the information you have provided us about various organisations, based on the notification we issued, is very meaningful. Through verifying and screening this information, we will be able to identify the genuine observers, through whom a quality election observation can be ensured. Therefore, I extend my sincere thanks to you.”
Regarding the registration of political parties, he said, “We are primarily conducting additional inquiries into 12 political parties. Some information is being verified at the Secretariat, while relevant information is also being collected from the field level. That is, the inquiry is ongoing by combining both the Secretariat and field levels. We hope to reach a clear position on this matter by next week.”
He also informed that the Election Commission will hold a meeting with law enforcement agencies and organisations on 20 October. Invitations have already been sent to representatives of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and all relevant organisations to participate in the discussion.
