Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus expressed satisfaction with the way the election campaign is progressing across the country, saying that campaign is being conducted nationwide in an enthusiastic, peaceful and cordial environment.
“Candidates are not using abusive language against one another, nor is there any unruly behavior, which is a very positive change for our political history and culture,” he said.
The Chief Adviser made the remarks while speaking at the outset of a high-profile meeting on overall preparedness, security personnel deployment and upcoming challenges ahead of the national polls scheduled for February 12.
He himself presided over the meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna here this afternoon.
Later, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed the media in front of Jamuna tonight to share outcomes of the meeting.
During the meeting, Prof Yunus noted that the preparation phase for the polls has so far been completed very well and said, “We are satisfied. We are very happy”.
“Our challenge now is to make the election perfect,” he added.
Noting that the coming week is extremely crucial, as the election is only four days away, the Chief Adviser expressed optimism that the voting would be festive and safe one.
He also hoped that women would vote with joy and that entire families would participate together in the election festival.
“I hope this election would remain as memorable one in the history,” Prof Yunus said.
About the meeting, Shafiqul Alam said one of the key issues discussed at the meeting was election security, including the deployment of body-worn cameras for law enforcement personnel.
Noting that there are about 43,000 polling centers across the country, he said 25,700 body-worn cameras are being deployed across the country.
During the meeting, the press secretary said a live demonstration of how the cameras work was held.
In a random test, he said the Chief Adviser directly communicated with personnel wearing body cameras in five locations, including remote areas like Tetulia in Panchagarh and Matiranga in Khagrachhari.
These locations were selected randomly and were not pre-arranged, Shafiqul Alam said, adding, the demonstration showed that the cameras were functioning properly.
He said that the meeting also focused on the “Election Security App,” which has now been fully activated, adding, the app will be used exclusively by election officials and security personnel.
In the event of any disturbance, violence or unrest inside or outside a polling center, the press secretary said, alerts can be sent instantly through the app to security forces, returning officers and the Election Commission (EC) centrally.
This will enable rapid intervention and quick control of situations, he added.
Shafiqul Alam described the app as a tested and effective one, having been successfully used during Durga Puja, when around 32,000 puja mandaps were brought under its coverage.
He said EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed provided an overall outline of election preparedness, while chiefs of various security forces also gave updates on the deployment of members of law enforcement agencies in the polls.
According to the updates, the press secretary said around 900,000 members of security personnel will be deployed for the election, adding, of them, over 108,000 are from the armed forces, including the army, navy and air force.
He said 108,885 members of armed forces have already been deployed, adding that 37,453 members of BGB have also been deployed in certain areas in 1,210 platoons.
Besides, 3,585 members of Coast Guard have been deployed in 10 districts, covering 17 constituencies, 20 upazilas and 69 unions, the press secretary said, adding, however, deployment of 157,000 police personnel would begin from the morning of February 11.
A total of 567,866 Ansar members will be deployed across the country starting tomorrow, he said, adding, a sufficient number of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members will also be deployed.
Referring to the EC secretary, Shafiqul Alam said elections will be held in 299 constituencies on February 12 as election in Sherpur-3 constituency has been postponed due to the death of a candidate.
The total number of contesting candidates is 2,029 in the 299 constituencies, of whom 1,755 are from political parties and 274 are independents, he said, adding, there are 80 female candidates and 1,946 male candidates, including 1,692 party candidates and 254 independents.
The total number of voters is 127,711,793. Of them, 64,825,361 are male, 62,885,200 female while 1232 are hijra. The elections will be held at 42,779 polling centres across the country.
About the postal voting, Shafiqul Alam said ballots of 422,960 overseas postal voters have already reached Bangladesh while returning officers have so far received 270,038 ballots.
Among overseas postal voters, 94 percent are men and 6 percent are women, he added.
Noting that postal ballots have been sent to 124 countries across the globe, Shafiqul Alam said Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India have expressed interest in learning about Bangladesh’s postal voting system, how it is being implemented, its effectiveness and whether any issues are arising.
About foreign observers, the press secretary said around 400 foreign observers and approximately 50,000 domestic observers will monitor the election, adding, it is estimated that about 120 foreign journalists will cover the polls.
The meeting decided that through the newly launched hotline- 333, people can lodge complaints, raise alerts or seek any election-related information while appropriate action will be taken accordingly.
About the installation of CCTV cameras, Shafiqul Alam said the meeting was informed that about 80 percent of CCTV cameras have already been installed at polling centers, and installation of the 25,700 body-worn cameras is nearly complete.
Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumder and Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad were present at the briefing.
