TDS Desk:

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has said the Election Commission will seek advice from former commission officials with hands-on experience in election management to help prevent fraud and manipulation.

“We will listen to those who have worked on the ground. Many of you have the experience of how election fraud can be carried out. Having served in the EC for many years, you can advise us on where and how manipulations take place so that we can prevent them,” the CEC said at a dialogue on Tuesday.

As part of its ongoing series of discussions aimed at ensuring the 13th national parliamentary election in a free, fair, and peaceful manners, the EC held a meeting with election experts this morning at the EC headquarters in Agargaon.

Eight former EC officials and one election observer attended the session. Although the number was limited, the CEC said he expected “quality insights” from them.

Despite the small gathering, he said the commission wanted to use the experience of “quality participants” to shape the plan for the upcoming election.

Nasir Uddin, four election commissioners, and other senior EC officials were present.

In his opening remarks, the CEC said, “You have worked here and were practically involved. You know more than we do. You know where the gaps exist that allows manipulation to take place. We want to close those gaps.

“We didn’t invite you just for the sake of discussion. We want to take your valuable advice and opinions to shape our electoral process.”

The election experts included former EC officials Md Zakaria, Khandaker Mizanur Rahman, Md Nuruzzaman Talukder, Mihir Sarwar Morshed, Shah Alam, Mir Mohammad Shahjahan, Misbah Uddin Ahmed, Md Shahedunnabi Chowdhury, Mahfuza Akter, and FEM President Monira Khan.

“We are proud to have you with us on Tuesday, he told the participants, adding that many of the Reform Commission’s recommendations have already been implemented and consulting with stakeholders has eased much of their responsibilities.

Many of the former EC officials present there had previously served as acting secretaries, joint secretaries, deputy secretaries, and regional election officers, with experience in various election missions.

“Some may say the attendance is low. It was done consciously,” the CEC explained. “We’ve already spoken to academics and civil society and heard their views. On Tuesday we’ll listen to those with field experience in conducting elections. We don’t just want to hear about how well things can be done — we also want to hear how frauds can happen, and how to prevent them.”

The CEC concluded, “We’ve taken many new initiatives and must face many challenges. We’ll have to combat misinformation on social media. I consider this the last opportunity of my life to do something meaningful for the country. I’m over 73 years old and have no personal ambitions left. My commitment is to deliver a fair, transparent, and credible election to the nation. This can’t be done by the EC alone — it requires everyone’s cooperation.”