Former election officials and women representatives from civil society organisations on Tuesday recommended that the Election Commission must address the persisting mob violence ahead of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections, planned for early February 2026.
They also urged the commission to mitigate the concerns over using untaxed money in electioneering.
Identifying concerns over the election-time security issues, they placed several recommendations at separate dialogue sessions hosted by the commission at the Nirbachan Bhaban at Agargaon of the capital Dhaka.
Tuesday鈥檚 sessions were parts of the commission鈥檚 planned series of dialogues with stakeholders starting on September 28.
Addressing the participants, chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin iterated the commission鈥檚 top-most priority to hold free, fair, credible, and gender-friendly Jatiya Sangsad elections.
鈥楾he commission is committed to post non-partisan polling officials. As this is a new era, polling officials will face music if they serve some聽 specific people鈥檚 interests rather than nation鈥檚,鈥� Nasir said.
In the first session, eight former election officials Md Zakaria, Khondaker Mizanur Rahman, Md Nuruzzaman Talukder, Mihir Sarwar Morshed, Shah Alam, Mir Mohammad Shahjahan, Misbah Uddin Ahmed, Md Shahedunnabi Chowdhury, Mahfuza Akter, and Fair Election Monitoring Alliance president Munira Khan attended.
Expressing their concerns over mob violence and misuse of artificial intelligence in social media campaigns, they recommended that the commission should strictly enforce the code of conduct and must not recruit polling officials from partisan institutions.聽
Giving magistracy power to EC officials, recovering illegal arms, preventing loan defaulters from the elections, the use of black money in electioneering, and appointing multiple returning officers in the large districts were among their recommendations.
They also recommended appointing Ansar and police members and polling officials from outside their own constituencies, and verifying polls results with over 80 per cent voter turnout in any constituency before publishing the gazette.
The former election officials also suggested that the EC should ensure quick disposal of election-related complaints and review and verify election expenditure reports in a speedy manner.
About the appointment of polling officials, Nasir Uddin said that the commission would explore the possibility of engaging most polling officials from outside the government services to avoid post-election consequences.
Regarding the officials who had served during the past three parliamentary elections, the CEC said, 鈥楾he Election Commission requires about 10 lakh polling officials. Excluding those who had previously served would be like combing through a blanket until nothing is left.鈥�
In the second session, those who spoke included chief of the Women鈥檚 Affairs Reform Commission Shireen Parveen Haque, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad president Fauzia Moslem and general secretary Maleka Banu, Nijera Kori coordinator Khusi Kabir, Internews Network Bangladesh country representative Shameen Ara Sheuli, Naripokkho president Geeta Das, Women with Disabilities Development Foundation executive director Ashrafun Nahar Misty, Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus (B-SCAN) general secretary Salma Mahbub, Narir Rajnoitik Adhikar Forum representative Mahrukh Mohiuddin, Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha director聽 Shahnaz Sumi, Association for Land Reform and Development deputy executive director Rowshan Jahan Moni, Jahangirnagar University鈥檚 part-time teacher on economics Maha Mirza and human rights activist Ilira Dewan.
They expressed grave concerns over persisting mob violence and requested the commission to ensure proper security of women and voters from other vulnerable groups.
鈥楳isogynists, communal haters, and anti-liberation candidates must not contest in the elections,鈥� Fauzia demanded.
They recommended that the Election Commission should address the issue of increasing women鈥檚 representation in the Jatiya Sangsad by ensuring that political parties field at least 25 per cent of their candidates from the women community.
Citing various difficulties, they requested the commission to ensure access to polling booths for physically challenged voters, including the issuance of special identity cards for using personal vehicles during the polling day.聽
They also requested the commission to ensure that factory owners approve leave for the voter-workers so that they can cast their votes. Postal ballots for voters in the remote areas of the Chittagong Hill Tracts were also recommended.
Four election commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Tahmida Ahmad, Anwarul Islam Sarker, and retired Brigadier General Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah were present in the dialogue session, moderated by EC additional secretary KM Ali Newaz.
