Editorial
For an independent EC
The safety-valve for free election, strong democracy
The news that the government has no plans as of now to make the Election Commission independent must come as a shock to all those who would like to see a strong democracy flourish in Bangladesh. Independence of the Election Commission, that can only come about through an overall reform of the electoral system has been the common sentiment of the people who would like to see it not only truly independent but also act so. The previous CEC had in fact suggested several reform measures in the recommendations he made to the President in this regard. Regrettably, not only does the proposal appear to have been shelved, the current CEC, while agreeing to the need for reform of the EC, has neither deemed it necessary to pursue the matter, nor has he put up fresh proposals of his own in the eight months that he has been in office. Credibility of the EC can only be established if it is capable of carrying out free and fair elections. And that is only possible if the chances of interference from the executive in its functioning can be eliminated altogether. Thus the demand for reform of the EC including its complete independence with its own budgetary provisions and control reflects the need of the day. The reform of the EC, which must form a part of the overall electoral reform, must be comprehensive. It should allow the commission to address and tackle issues of fraudulent voting, interpolations in the voters list and the entire process of election that are subject of and victims to the many ploys that some candidates and many voters resort to, in their attempt to influence the election results. The EC is our hope for a strong democracy. That hope must not be dashed either by the way the EC chooses to act or by divesting it of its ability to perform as per the constitutional provisions. Only a fully independent Election Commission can guarantee free and fair election, nothing else will.
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