Former Chief Election Commissioner Justice Muhammad Abdur Rouf yesterday said holding a free and fair election is not possible in the country until the administration was delinked from conducting polls.
“The administration must be pulled out of the electoral process to ensure holding a free and fair election. Election should be conducted by the voters from the grassroots level,” he said while addressing a roundtable discussion at Jatiya Press Club.Justice Rouf observed that major changes should be brought to the electoral process to keep the polls free from influence of back money and administration.
He suggested bringing about changes to the electoral system to nominate candidates by the respective party to avoid influence of black money and administration in the election process.
Centre for Nationalism Studies organised the meeting titled “A credible election only can give a solution to the ongoing political stalemate” with its chairperson Barrister Fatema Anwar in the chair.
The former CEC accused the rulers of influencing the administration during the polls and argued that there should not be any electoral constituency in the national election and voters would cast their votes in favour of their respective parties.
“This system should be introduced to protect the country from the virus which is eroding the charter by bringing amendment to it by absolute majority in Parliament,” he said.
He said the precedence of influencing the polls was also seen in the past. “The Election Commission has no power to this regard and they remain spectators.
BNP chairpeorn’s adviser Advocate Ahmed Azam Khan, Taleya Rahman, Ehsanul Kabir, Aminur Rahman, Barrister Rumin Farhana among others addressed the function. – Staff Reporter
