"There is no crisis now and there will be no crisis in future. Good sense will prevail and all the political parties will participate in the next parliamentary election," Aziz, who has already been mired in controversies, told reporters yesterday in his office brushing aside apprehensions of further crises regarding holding of the election.

"There will be an election on time and it will be successful as we have been able to create a level playing field," the CEC said, who wants reinstatement of controversial authority of the Election Commission (EC) like the power to cancel candidatures in cases of gross irregularities in the election, and the power to bring contempt proceedings against violations of the commission's orders.

The prevailing political situation in the country however does not support Aziz's claim as Prime Minister Khaleda Zia also BNP chairperson has started a campaign against Awami League-led 14-party opposition coalition's proposal for reforms in the system of caretaker government and the EC.

The prime minister has been repeatedly rejecting any idea of electoral reforms and claiming that the election will be held on time while the opposition coalition remains rigid on its position of not participating in the polls without the reforms. Rigidity of both the sides have already triggered apprehension of a political crisis which might make timely holding of the next parliamentary election uncertain.

Moreover, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia last week declared that the head of the interim government will be that person who is mandated by the constitution. According to the constitution the latest retired chief justice is to be the head of a caretaker government. But, Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina categorically said the opposition coalition will not accept latest retired chief justice KM Hasan as the chief adviser to the caretaker government. The opposition also declared that it will not participate in the polls under CEC MA Aziz.

In wake of the prevailing political situation nobody is sure about what will happen when the tenure of the four-party alliance government will expire on October 28 and the issue of forming a caretaker government will come to the fore.

Many political analysts fear that the existing political deadlock will only be strengthened if the issue of electoral reforms is not resolved during the tenure of the present government. But for the moment, there is no sign of a possible dialogue between the ruling and opposition alliances to resolve the crisis.

Amid such a situation, the government last week appointed another election commissioner while ignoring the opposition's proposal for reforms in the EC including a demand for any appointment to the commission on the basis of a political consensus. Analysts believe that the latest appointment to the EC will only deepen the crisis.

But the CEC yesterday claimed that the appointment of the fourth election commissioner will strengthen the EC, while highlighting Mahmud Hasan Mansur's credentials as befitting for an election commissioner.

Many political observers and electoral experts already said it is not possible for the present EC, the abilities of which were questioned during the updating of the voter list, to hold the election in a free and fair manner.

The CEC however claimed, "We have done our best. We are not in the dock," and questioned, "What is the controversy over preparation of the voter list?"

"There had been no litigation since 1935 regarding preparations of fresh voter lists. But this time, we had to face a court case. Why the case was filed? It is still...the basis of the case was without substance," Aziz said referring to the writ petitions filed by Awami League lawmakers challenging the preparation of the controversial fresh voter list by the EC, which was later declared illegal by the Supreme Court.

"We won the case. But the media created an impression that the Election Commission lost the case," Aziz said brushing aside the allegation of wastage of public money during the preparation of the now defunct fresh voter list.

Asked about initiation of steps to ensure participation of all political parties in the next parliamentary election, Aziz however did not clear his position.

"This is not a one way traffic. If any party does not respond to our invitation... we will alone try to bring them to the election...they will also have to come...we don't want to exclude anybody. Everybody has an equal opportunity as we are working with a mandate given by the constitution to hold the election," Aziz said.

Referring to last year's dialogues with political parties, the CEC said, "After joining the commission I invited all the political parties to dialogues [over the preparation of the voter list]. At that time many said we invited the parties that exist on papers only. But some of the parties that you [journalists] consider as viable oppositions, they also have only two or three members. If you [reporters] are talking about them, they have no confidence on me."

Most of the opposition parties rejected the invitation for dialogues with the EC last year as they had rejected Aziz's appointment as the CEC.

About the opposition coalition's demand for his resignation and its lack of confidence on him, the CEC said, "In a democratic country, everybody has the right to speak about anything. But none of them should exceed the limit of decency," he said.

When the stances of the ruling and opposition alliances on electoral reforms are contradicting, the CEC however feels the necessity of reforms in electoral laws. But he has not made up his mind yet about when he will propose the reforms to the government.

The EC's authority to cancel candidatures and to bring contempt proceedings in cases of violations of the commission's orders should be restored, Aziz said referring to the powers the EC had been once provided with before the last parliamentary election, which were later repealed in the face of opposition from major political parties.

The CEC also feels the necessity of stopping the practice of pasting campaign posters, erection of decorated archways, and decorative lightings during the election campaign.

"I can't tell now when I will send the proposal for reforms in electoral laws to the government," Aziz said, who had declared in May last year that he would send a proposal for electoral reforms to the government.

On putting an end to the influence of black money in the election, the CEC said the political parties know who are the black money holders among them. "The influence of black money will stop if the political parties do not nominate black money holders in the election," he said.

NEW COMMISSIONER JOINS EC
Mahmud Hasan Mansur yesterday took oath as the fourth election commissioner in a ceremony conducted by the chief justice, and assumed the office.

Mansur started his tenure as an election commissioner with an unexpected show of narcissism, according to his new colleagues.

Entering his office room at about 12:00pm, the newly appointed election commissioner took out a camera from his jacket pocket and assigned an officer of the EC Secretariat to take some pictures of him, while he posed in presence of reporters.

The newly appointed election commissioner started talking to the journalists and the official started snapping away the roll of film.

Brushing aside the allegation that he was appointed on political considerations, he said no government appoints anybody to a constitutional post on political grounds.

After talking to the reporters, he went to the office of the CEC to make a courtesy call.