President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Monday asked the Election Commission (EC) and the political parties along with the candidates to come forward to ensure free, fair and participatory national elections.
"Elections are very important in the democratic process . . . Ensure a free, fair and participatory upcoming national polls with the cooperation of all stakeholders," he said.
The president made the remarks when a six-member EC delegation led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban in Dhaka, President's Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told BSS after the meeting.
"All-out support is a must for holding fair and participatory polls . . . Full cooperation will be given to ensure a peaceful environment along with law and order," the head of the state added.
President Shahabuddin also directed the Election Commission to take pragmatic steps to make the upcoming elections neutral and participatory by identifying the risk-prone voting centres.
He hoped that the incumbent EC will be able to complete all the elections across the country in a fair and acceptable manner.
During the meeting, the Election Commission officially congratulated the president for assuming the office as the 22nd president of the country.
The CEC told the president that he has been putting his best efforts to arrange polls, including local government ones, neutrally and peacefully since assuming office.
He said the EVMs (electronic voting machines) are being successfully used in elections except for some technical errors.
Referring to the boundaries of electoral areas, which have already been finalised, the CEC also said the process of finalising the polling centres is going on.
He sought the cooperation and direction of the president to conduct the upcoming Jatiya Sangsad elections in a free, fair and peaceful manner.
Three Election Commissioners – Brig Gen (retd) Md Ahsan Habib Khan, Begum Rasheda Sultana and Md Alamgir and Election Commission Secretariat Secretary Jahangir Alam were also present.
