by Bilkis Irani in Dhaka Tribune, Aug 17, 2017 at 5.41pm
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Thursday said the Election Commission will neither bow down nor mediate any election-related issue among political parties.
“It’s not the Election Commission’s (EC’s) duty to mediate among political parties. We don’t need to go to anyone as the EC is an independent body,” KM Nurul Huda told a dialogue with electronic media persons and senior journalists at the Election Commission building at Dhaka’s Agargaon on Thursday.
“Neither we bow down to any pressure nor go to any person,” he added.
The Election Commission will take decisions whether army will be deployed or not during the election, the CEC said adding, “If necessary, army will be deployed.”
About the type of government during the election, he said the EC has no role regarding the nature of government that will remain during the election. The Commission cannot play role in this regard, he said.
As the EC is a technical office, it is obliged to conduct the election in the system which is determined by the government, he added.
Out of 34 invitees, 22 electronic and online media persons and journalist leaders joined the talks with the Chief Election Commissioner in the chair.
BSS Managing Director and Chief Editor Abul Kalam Azad, Channel I director Shykh Seraj, Ekattor TV manging director Mozammel Babu, Independent TV executive editor Khaled Muhiuddin, Masranga TV chief news editor Rezwanul Haque Raza, Bangla Vision head of news Mostafa Firoz, NTV head of news Khairul Anwar Mukul, ATN Bangla head of news ZE Mamun, RTV CEO Syed Ashiq Rahman, Jamuna TV chief news editor Fahim Ahmed, Bangladesh Correspondent of Voice of America Amir Khasru, Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) President Sakhawat Hossain Badsha and BTV director general SM Haroon-or-Rashid are among the participants.
Four election commissioners — Mahbub Talukdar, Rafiqul Islam, Kabita Khanam and Brig Gen (retd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury– and EC acting secretary Helaluddin Ahmed are present at the dialogue.
On Wednesday last, the EC sat in the dialogue with newspaper editors, journalist leaders, senior journalists and columnists.
Earlier on July 31, the EC held its dialogue with civil society members.
As part of the EC’s roadmap prepared for the next general election, the EC will also sit in talks with 40 registered political parties, election observers, women leaders and election experts.
The next national election is likely to be held in late December 2018 or the elections.http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/2017/08/17/ec-dialogue-electronic-media-begins/
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