No legal bar to EVM use in Bd election: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda on Friday said there is no legal bar to the use of Electronic Voting Machine(EVM) in the 11th parliamentary elections and decision on the extent of EVM use will be taken within the next two days.

“EVM is a new initiative. There’s no legal bar to its use in the parliamentary elections. The problems of ballot voting will be eliminated with its use. How many EVMs will be used in the election will be finalised within the next two days,” he told the inaugural ceremony of a training programme at ETI Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon area.

The CEC’s remarks came a day after Dr Kamal Hossain-led Jatiya Oikyafront warned that their alliance will file a case against the government and the EC if they try to use EVM in the upcoming national election without amending the Constitution. Nurul Huda said the people of those areas where EVM will be used must be trained about its use a few days ago and then there will be no problem.

Inviting the political parties that are opposing the EVM use to test it, he said, “Various parties are opposing the EVM use. Let them test the technical issues of EVM by their people and then their doubts will be removed.”Replying to a query about the recovery of a BNP leader’s body, Huda said will ask the law enforcement agencies to bring those under law who were involved in the incident.

He urged the trainers to train the election officials properly to hold a fair election.”They need to know about neutrality, technical skills, law, rules and regulations. Though you people know it the assistant presiding officers may not know. Train them properly, “he said.

source: UNB