Shawdewsh desk:

Transparency International Bangladesh shared its findings with the Election Commission on Sunday that revealed various anomalies in the affidavits of candidates submitted during the January 7 general election.

TIB also identified areas where the commission could take action against the mismatch of information, Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of the non-profit, told reporters at Nirbachan Bhaban following their meeting with the chief election commissioner, Kazi Habibul Awal, and other election commissioners.

According to the CEC, commissioner Md Alamgir explained their limitations  to TIB officials.

‘Our laws have limitations on what we can and cannot do. We have been asked to make the affidavit public, and we have posted them on our website. But we are not given any responsibility to analyze the candidate’s assets and take actions,’ the CEC quoted Alamgir as saying.

Awal said that they also discussed the political situation, the necessary amendments to election-related laws, and the possibility of holding the national election in phases.

Calling the existing political hostility ‘acute’, he said that making progress in this political situation was challenging.

The CEC said he did not see any dialogue happening between the political parties soon. ‘The antagonism is too apparent. It’s going to be very difficult to make any progress amid such acute hostility,’ he said.

He reiterated that it was not possible for the EC to hold fair elections alone.

An acceptable election requires the cooperation of the political parties as well as the goodwill of the government, he said.

He called on all political parties to put aside their differences and engage in constructive dialogue.

‘We have discussed with the EC whether national elections can be held in several phases. The EC told us that a fair election is possible if it can be held in five phases and Electronic Voting Machines can be used,’ Iftekharuzzaman said.

With the aim of ensuring democracy, good governance, and accountable elections, the TIB delegation has given some reports to the Election Commission, which it has analyzed, he said.

‘One of these reports is our observation of the 12th Parliamentary Elections, and another is the election affidavit, where the candidates give their income and expenditure. We have given them the analyzed report,’ he said.

‘The Election Commission has told us that they want a participatory, fair, and free election. We said we wanted that too. Since our main goal is the same, we will continue our discussion,’ he said.

The 12 parliamentary polls held under the current election commission saw the participation of 28 registered parties, mostly the allies of the ruling Awami League, while 16 others, including the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies, did not participate.