Bangladesh News

Election Commissioner SM Zakaria took leave for 42 days effective from December 21, acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Mahfuzur Rahman said yesterday.
“The leave of Election Commissioner SM Zakaria would be effective from December 21 to January 31,” he said referring to the council of advisers’ request to keep Zakaria aloof from the entire electoral process, which will be completed by January 25.

The council of advisers on December 20 requested Zakaria to go on leave but spared another Election Commissioner Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury although the much talked about package proposal finalised by the caretaker government on December 4 decided to send both the election commissioners on leave.

Zakaria remained absent from the office from the next day following the request of the council of advisers while CEC MA Aziz took leave for three months from November 21.

The Election Commission (EC) is conducting the ninth parliamentary election after rescheduling the official polls plan for the fourth time and in absence of its two members including the CEC, which is unprecedented in the history of Bangladesh.

The EC first announced the schedule on November 27, setting the date of polling on January 23 while the last date for filing nominations on December 10, scrutiny on December 11 and last date for withdrawal of candidatures on December 19.

The Awami League (AL)-led 14-party alliance rejected the schedule and demanded rescheduling the official polls plan.

Following the package proposal of the council of advisers to resolve the political crisis, the EC on December 7 rescheduled the polls plan re-fixing the polling day on January 21 while the last day for filing nomination papers was on December 21, scrutiny of those on December 22 and last date for withdrawing candidatures on December 28.

On December 18, the EC in another change set January 22 as the polling day.

With the political crisis remaining unresolved, the EC, on advice of the council of advisers, on December 20 rescheduled the election again, setting last date for submission of nomination papers on December 24, scrutiny of those on December 26 and the last date for withdrawing the candidatures on January 3.

Finally, the EC again changed the schedule yesterday, setting the last date for filing nomination papers on December 26 and scrutiny of those on December 27 while the last date for withdrawing the candidature and the polling day have remained unchanged.