Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal on Saturday said the powers of presiding officers have been enhanced through law to ensure that elections are fair.
He said this while speaking at a programme at the Election Training Institute in the capital’s Agargaon.
“Only if the people can vote freely, the polls will be 100 per cent fair,” he added.
Election Commissioner Md Anisur Rahman said the upcoming national parliamentary election will be held in the first week of January but did not share the exact date.
"It can be said that the official activities of the national election have started through this. This is why we are all here,” he said.
The CEC inaugurated the first phase of the Training of Trainers (TOT) programme.
The training for election officials which started on Saturday will continue till November 30. Some 3,500 experts trained by the Election Commission will then train about 9,00,000 polling officials at the field level.
Two other election commissioners and the EC secretary were also present on the occasion.
