Because of lack of funds and time, voters will cast paper ballots. Both the government and the opposition favour this option. For the latter, a non-partisan government during the elections is more important. Voting is set for December this year or January 2024.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) – The Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) announced that paper ballot papers will be used to elect 300 MPs instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the upcoming elections.
“The EC had decided to only use ballot papers due to the lack of political consensus over EVMs, as well as a crunch in funding,” said EC president Kazi Habibul Awal yesterday at a press conference at EC headquarters in Agargaon (Dhaka). “The decision was announced after it received a green light from the government.”
Most political parties have expressed doubts, mistrust and scepticism about the EVMs proposed by the EC, which has defended electronic voting machines, claiming that they cannot be rigged, an argument also backed by the ruling Awami League.
The EC ultimately decided against them, also citing the lack of time since the elections are set for December this year or January 2024.
“In our election roadmap we had decided to use EVMs at a maximum of 150 constituencies. A TK 8,000 crore (US$ 757 million) project was undertaken in this regard, but that has not progressed,” said EC secretary Md Jahangir Alam.
Agriculture Minister Mohammad Abdur Razzaque said he was in favour of EVMs for the upcoming general elections.
He noted that while “there is some controversy about EVMs, many countries hold elections using this machine”; however, since “the world economic crisis has also affected Bangladesh, [. . .] the EC has decided to conduct elections using the conventional ballot.”
EVMs or paper ballots are not the real issue, this according to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the country’s main opposition party.
In his view, “The main obstacle to free and fair elections is the electoral system. We have been demanding elections under a non-partisan government.”
For the BNP, what matters is who will be in government during the election, not “whether the vote will be done via EVM or ballots.”
On a separate note, the EC announced that EVMs will be used in five municipal elections to be held before the general election.
Meanwhile, protests have been held over the past few weeks against the Awami League, the party of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The opposition has accused the ruling party of rigging the previous election, and demands the establishment of a non-partisan government to avoid more fraud.
The government has responded with repression, banned protests and jailed activists and leaders of other parties.