The Election Commission on Monday asked for sending a small team of armed forces in advance to every district in order for their deployment throughout the country for 13 days during the January 7 national election.
The commission sent a letter to the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division in this regard, reports UNB.
The EC has already taken a decision for the deployment of armed forces in the 300 constituencies throughout Bangladesh from December 29, 2023 to January 10, 2024 to assist the civil administration under the provision of “In Aid to Civil Power” aiming to ensure peace-order before, during and after the polling day, said the letter.
A small advance team of armed forces can be sent to each district to collect primary information and data on the communication system, physical infrastructures and electoral environment, conditions of the election area, it said.
The deployed members of the armed forces will assist the civil administration in maintaining the law and order in line with the Code of Criminal Procedure following the recommendations of executive magistrates in the election duty.
The members of the armed forces will remain deployed at nodal points and convenient locations in each district, upazila or metropolitan area. Then the members of armed forces will be deployed in coordination of the returning officers.
Executive magistrates will be deployed with teams of the armed force.
On request of the returning officers or assistance returning officers, they will have to do legal activities and other works as per the reality and requirements.
The commission will issue detailed directives later over the deployment of armed forces, said the letter.
Ballots to be sent to centres on voting day morning
The Election Commission on Monday also asked returning officers (ROs) to send the ballot papers for the January 7 national elections to all polling centres, except those in remote and hard-to-reach areas, on the morning of voting day.
"Respective returning officers will have to make plans for delivering the ballot papers on the morning of polling day and get those approved by the Election Commission by December 31," the EC said in a circular, reports BSS.
According to the circular, the ROs should determine the timing of delivery of ballot papers to polling centres located in hilly, haor, baor, char or island areas or areas far from the district or upazila headquarters or metropolitan areas.
Talking to reporters at the EC office, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal, "As far as possible, the ballots will reach polling centres on the morning of polling day, which will help increase the transparency of voting.
"The polling agents will have to be there to see that the polling boxes are empty and the ballot papers reached the polling station in the morning," he said while talking to reporters after a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori at the EC.
He said the EC has taken this step as there was a demand for it from many. It will also increase transparency, he added.
The CEC said it would not be possible to deliver ballot papers to polling centres located in hilly, haor, baor, char or island areas or areas far from the district or upazila headquarters or metropolitan areas in the morning of the voting day. To reach ballot papers to remote areas, choppers will be used, he said, adding that in such cases, ROs will have to get approval from the EC.
He said ballot boxes will be sent to polling centres two or four days ahead of the polling day.
