Staff Correspondent:

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has said we want that no such blame like ‘inadequate preparation’ should fall on us.

“We don’t want to take any kind of blame. That is why we started preparing in advance,” he said.

The CEC told this to the reporters at his office in the Election Building in Agargaon in the capital on Monday.

Earlier, he held a meeting with a delegation led by US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Tracy Ann Jacobson.

At that time, the CEC said, “He came to know about the preparation. This is a special situation, a special kind of government. The chief advisor wrote to us informing us about February. He talked about voting before Ramadan. We have strengthened the preparation.We have started the preparation in advance, more specifically to say.”

The CEC said, “Our parties put the interests of the country above all. They work in the interests of the country, for the country. We will see whether they will come to an agreement in the end. The chief advisor has started talking again since yesterday, and I have also informed him. I believe that there will be a compromise.”

I said to him, “The vote is still late. Those who create mobs will leave the area during the vote. They will not be found again. Dhaka city itself becomes empty during the vote. They will not be found again.”

He also said, “One thing she (Charge the Affairs) said in an interval about rumors and conspiracy theories. I said, ‘this country is a country of rumors. She wants to eliminate the rumors again. I told her not to listen to rumors. We have made arrangements to bring back the power to cancel the entire election.”

“95 percent of the people in charge of the vote are government people and 5 percent are EC people – she said this. I said, if the government brings 95 percent of the results to itself, that is one thing. Another thing is: 95 percent of our people are on our side. It’s for honest purposes. It has been misused in the past. Voting is not possible without the government. Law enforcement agencies will be needed, budget will be needed – voting is not possible without their cooperation. 95 percent of the government’s manpower is not taking the results in their favor, because the head of the government does not belong to any party. He has also cooperated so that the EC can work independently. We have received cooperation without any interference from the government.”

The CEC said, “The issue of black money came up in the meeting with the US embassy. We cannot stop it completely. I have also informed that I sat with the commission on the basis of consensus. I am optimistic and will fight with all my might till the end. I will try to organize a fair election with all my might along with the countrymen.”