Is the Election Commission in Bangladesh Really 'Spineless'?

Dhaka, Aug 4 (NationPress) In a new controversy surrounding the upcoming general elections in Bangladesh, the Chief Coordinator of the National Citizen Party (NCP), Nasiruddin Patwari, has described the Election Commission (EC) as a 'spineless' body, according to local media reports.

During a press conference, Patwari's comments came after he led a four-member delegation in a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin.

He stated, 'The more we observe the Election Commission, the more we realize it is a spineless institution.... Such a commission is expected to steer Bangladesh towards democracy. However, it appears that most of its members are either in military attire or dressed in party colors.' This was reported by Bangladesh's prominent newspaper, The Daily Star.

Patwari emphasized that the Election Commission is a 'crucial constitutional body' that all party members are adhering to for registration.

He expressed, 'While we are revealing the issues to the public, we hope that through our actions, people will gradually see that the EC is lacking in integrity.'

This meeting took place on the last day for 144 new political parties, including the NCP, to finalize their registration with the EC.

Reports indicate that as the 13th national parliamentary election nears, a total of 144 political parties submitted registration applications to the EC by June 22. However, none of the applications fully satisfied the criteria upon preliminary review.

Consequently, the Commission provided a 15-day extension for parties, including the NCP, to meet the requirements, which concluded on Sunday.

On this final day, NCP leaders delivered the required documents to the EC.

NCP Joint Member Secretary Zahirul Islam Musa stated, 'In response to the EC's request and our internal evaluation, we have submitted new documents today. We are optimistic that the EC will advance to the next step in our registration process.'

This is not the first occasion the NCP has criticized the EC in light of the general elections.

Recently, at a rally, NCP's Chief Organiser Hasanat Abdullah accused the EC of hypocrisy regarding its stance on inclusive elections.

He also condemned the rejection of the Shapla symbol (water lily) for the NCP following objections from an EC member and questioned the viability of the online nomination system.

'A credible election is unattainable under this commission,' he asserted, vowing to contest the EC through political means.

During the rally, speakers reiterated their call for a complete overhaul of the EC.