No key officials from past three polls to join next election

Chief Advisers Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Wednesday briefing reporters at the Foreign Service Academy.

Dhaka, Oct 29 - The interim government on Wednesday announced that no official who was involved in any significant capacity, including returning officers and assistant returning officers, in the last three national elections would be engaged in the upcoming parliamentary election.

The decision came from a high-level meeting on election preparations, presided over by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna.

Briefing reporters at the Foreign Service Academy, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the meeting focused on mainly four issues – the posting of field-level officials and countering misinformation and disinformation on social media during the election period, training of election officials and ensuring security.

The meeting laid emphasis on field administration so that no official involved in the last three elections could be posted as deputy commissioner, additional district commissioner, UNO, district magistrate or other magisterial roles during the next election process.

“The officials who acted as returning officers, polling officers or assistant returning officers in the last three elections and if they played even minimum roles in the three election should not be engaged this time (in the general election),” said Shafiqul Alam, raising the decisions of the meeting.

He said the Election Commission informed that they have already taken major steps in this regard and the commission is working to keep such officials out of the election process.

The Press Secretary said the meeting discussed the criteria for posting the officials in different areas. Factors such as administrative competence, physical and professional fitness, previous postings, political background and media report of prior role will be considered during the posting of the officials.

The posting will be made randomly, with priority given to those best suited to each post, while avoiding posting officials to areas where they have relatives or potential conflicts of interest, he said.

“The fittest persons will be posted in the most vulnerable areas. There will be random selection,” he said, adding that officials will not be posted to their home districts or to the areas of spouses and their relatives.

On security arrangements, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said they have already prepared a list of fit officials and identified 64 key personnel for suitable posts.

The meeting stressed the need for ensuring maximum neutrality in the posting officials during the election.

The meeting also discussed detailed security deployment, including the involvement of around 92,500 army and navy personnel across the country during the election. Of them, 90,000 army personnel will be deployed and one army company to be in each upazila.

The meeting also focused on training including body-worn camera training, and the postal balloting for expatriate Bangladeshis and those who will be on election duty and jails.

 The Chief Adviser asked for making training videos available on the Election Commission website and state media and completing such preparations by November 15 next.

Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman, Chief Adviser’s Special Assistants Lieutenant General (retd) Abdul Hafiz (Defence and National Solidarity Development) and Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb (ICT Affairs), Cabinet Secretary Dr Sheikh Abdur Rashid, CA’s Principal Secretary M Siraz Uddin Miah, Election Commission Secretary Akhter Ahmed, Home Secretary Nasimul Gani, Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Force Division Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hassan, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam, RAB Director General AKM Shahidur Rahman, Director General of Bangladesh Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mohammad Ziaul Haque, representatives from NSI and DGFI, among others, attended the meeting the two-hour meeting.

CA’s Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad and Assistant Press Secretary Shuchismita Tithi were present at the briefing. - UNB