The Election Commission will deploy some 900 executive and judicial
magistrates across the country to curb violence and violation of the
election code of conduct during the country’s 10th general election
slated for January 5 next. In the first phase, 300 executive magistrates will be fielded across the country – one magistrate in
each constituency- from November 13, the last date for withdrawal of
candidature, an official at the EC secretariat told UNB seeking
anonymity. In the second phase, 600 more magistrates from both
executive and judicial wings equally divided will be posted in the
constituencies throughout the country for four or five days before and
after the voting day. One judicial magistrate and two executive
magistrates will run mobile courts against electoral violence and
violation of polls codes in each constituency until January 6, a day
after the voting. The commission will put forward a letter to the
Public Administration Ministry on Thursday seeking 300 executive
magistrates for the first phase to conduct summary trials during the
pre-election period. Besides, the EC has already decided to form 140
electoral enquiry committees for the country’s 300 constituencies to
prevent electoral anomalies until the election process is over through
publishing gazette notifications. A two-member judicial enquiry
committee will be set up with a joint district judge as its head. In
order to form the enquiry committees, the commission secretariat on
Wednesday in a letter asked the Law Ministry to send a list of
subordinate court judges mentioning their posts to the EC before the
civil courts go into month-long vacation beginning on December 1.
The electoral enquiry committees will work on preventing anomalies and
controlling electoral environment during the pre-election time. The
EC will form the committees immediately after receiving the lists of
280 judges from the law ministry, the official said. In the past
national elections, the election enquiry committees started
functioning following the announcement of the election schedules. But
this time, the incumbent election commission, headed by Kazi
Rakibuddin Ahmad, is lacking behind in this regard. The enquiry
committees are likely to be formed next week, EC sources said. No
candidate can begin electioneering three weeks before the date of
voting. If anyone violates the code of conduct to be deemed as an
offence and punishable by jail term for maximum six months or a fine
of maximum Tk 50,000 or with both. In case of political party, it will
be fined maximum Tk 50,000. On January 25, Chief Election
Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad declared the schedule for the next
parliamentary elections. – UNB
