“I don’t say that the army will not be deployed in the polls… Army was deployed during the previous election and I personally think that army should be deployed in the upcoming national elections, but it will depend on the decision of the commission,” he said, speaking at a seminar at CIRDUP auditorium here.
Election Working Group (EWG) organized the seminar titled “Introducing Overseas Voting in Bangladesh: Issues and Challenges” with the assistance of Asia Foundation.
Awami League Presidium Member Mohammad Faruq Khan, MP, and BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan, addressed the seminar as special guests with EWG executive committee member Abdul Awal in the chair.
Former Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, former ambassadors Abdul Momen Chowdhury and Nasim Ferdous also took part in the discussion while EWG Director Dr Md Abdul Alim present a keynote paper in the seminar.
The CEC said there are different challenges to ensure voting by Bangladesh nationals living abroad. The EC is now working so that they can cast their votes, he added.
Proxy votes by near ones will be allowed in the cases of persons with disabilities and aged people, the CEC said.
He hoped the next general polls will be held free, fare and peaceful with the participation of all registered political parties.
Mohammad Faruq Khan said, “There is no scope of creating debate on deploying army in the next polls as it is a matter of the Election Commission. And I hope that the commission will take the right decision to this end.”