Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin expressed confidence that his promise to deliver an election in a festive atmosphere was being fulfilled, despite minor incidents at some polling stations.
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote at Eskaton Garden High School around 9:30am, he acknowledged that while there had been a few untoward incidents outside polling centres, they were not significant. “These incidents are not of much consequence,” he said.
The CEC highlighted that across towns and villages, voters were embracing the occasion with joy and excitement. “For the first time in a long while, the opportunity to vote has filled people with happiness,” he added.
Reflecting on his earlier promise to the nation for a free, fair, and credible election, Nasir Uddin noted that since assuming his role in November 2024, he and his team had worked tirelessly. “We’ve spent many sleepless nights and made every possible preparation to ensure the integrity of this election,” he said.
The CEC reported that the election had been peaceful nationwide, with only minor disturbances outside a couple of polling stations, which were swiftly dealt with. He reiterated that the era of polling station captures and ballot box seizures was behind the country. “There will be no staged election,” he said firmly.
Nasir Uddin also addressed concerns over misinformation, particularly on social media and through AI-generated content. “From the very beginning, I’ve said that social media and AI-generated content would be our biggest challenge. While we’ve made significant preparations to combat this, it remains difficult to fully control,” he stated. He pointed out that over 50 percent of misinformation came from outside the country, which posed an additional challenge.
“We’ve adopted a strategy to counter misinformation with accurate information,” he continued.
“I urge the mainstream media to broadcast truthful content. Many on social media do not have the nation’s best interests at heart and may seek to disrupt the election with false rumours. Our appeal is simple: before sharing anything, verify its authenticity.”
