TDS Desk:

At the field level, returning officers play a pivotal role in conducting elections. This responsibility has traditionally been carried out by deputy commissioners. As a result, the Election Commission (EC) remains heavily dependent on the field administration. In its report, the Electoral Reform Commission formed under the interim government recommended prioritising the EC’s own officials in appointing returning and assistant returning officers. However, of the 69 returning officers appointed for the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election and referendum, only three are EC officials. The remaining appointees include two divisional commissioners and 64 deputy commissioners. Consequently, the conduct of a fair election will largely depend on the role played by deputy commissioners.

Stakeholders say the demand to transform the electoral system into an autonomous and independent structure is longstanding. Ensuring an adequate pool of skilled manpower within the EC and establishing its effective authority over the state apparatus during elections has not yet been fully implemented. They argue that breaking the EC’s dependence on the administration requires both state and political goodwill.

To investigate allegations surrounding three controversial national elections held under the ousted Awami League government and to formulate recommendations for ensuring credible polls in the future, the interim government formed a committee. The committee’s report stated that a special cell — popularly known as the ‘election cell’ — was formed by a group of officials to implement those innovative plans for those elections. Between 2014 and 2024, control over the electoral system was effectively shifted from the Election Commission to the administration, making the latter the primary force in managing elections.

In light of these irregularities involving administrative officials, the committee put forward several recommendations regarding the electoral system. These include barring officials from the administration cadre from being appointed to the EC on deputation, framing rules to appoint the EC secretary from outside the administration, prioritising EC officials for appointments as returning and assistant returning officers, and recruiting from the administration or other cadres only if an adequate number of EC officials is unavailable.

Last year, 33 administration cadre officials holding the rank of joint secretary or equivalent across various ministries, divisions, and offices were made Officers on Special Duty (OSD) at the Ministry of Public Administration. These officials had served as returning officers and deputy commissioners during the controversial 2018 election. In addition, at least 22 former deputy commissioners who had overseen the disputed parliamentary elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024 and had completed 25 years of service were sent into compulsory retirement.

Asked why the EC has failed to move away from its reliance on the administration despite such experiences, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told journalists, “An election is a coordinated activities involving every organ of the government. For instance, police are needed for law and order, and Ansar members are required for managing polling centres. Given the current state of the EC’s manpower, it’s not possible for the Commission alone to conduct an election. The EC’s core strength lies in coordination. That may not have happened in the last three elections, but this time there will be a good election.”

He added, “While the administration cadre can handle the responsibility of overall coordination in a way, EC officials alone cannot handle this. However, the EC’s capacity is gradually being built, and this will continue to grow in the future.”

For the 13th national parliamentary election and referendum, returning officers will have control over election management, polling, and the announcement of results. EC sources said votes will be counted manually, using the traditional method. Polling operations, relevant officials, and the activities of security forces at the local level will be conducted under the directives of returning officers. They will also oversee the counting of postal ballots, decisions on cancelling votes, and logistical arrangements for the security forces.

Political analyst Altaf Parvez told journalists that the demand to turn the electoral system into an autonomous and independent structure outside the administration cadre is a long-standing one. “Electoral reform is a crucial part of state reform. The 2024 uprising stemmed from these demands. However, the call to separate the electoral system from the administration cadre and establish it as an autonomous and independent structure predates that by many years. There has long been a demand for a skilled and capable manpower framework within the Election Commission and for bringing the entire state apparatus under the Commission’s authority during elections. Many political parties and intellectuals have written and spoken about this. But the fact that it didn’t happen, and that the influence and involvement of upazila administrations and deputy commissioners’ offices have persisted in the electoral process, is largely due to weak commitments to political reform by the major parties,” he said.

The analyst further believes that the electoral process repeatedly becomes dependent on the civil bureaucracy because the Election Commission has not been adequately empowered to carry out the enormous task of conducting national elections, both in legal terms and in terms of human resources.

Asked why the EC has to rely on the administration in appointing returning officers at the field level, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud told journalists, “Why the EC couldn’t build up its own capable manpower is my question as it is yours. Why do outsiders, even now, hold the position of secretary or other key posts here? I believe a separate cadre called ‘BCS Election’ should be formed, with recruitment conducted through the Public Service Commission (PSC). After recruitment, these officials would work at the district level, and gradually, additional secretaries or secretaries would be appointed from among them. For a long time, secretaries and other key positions here have been filled by officials from outside. Discussions are now underway about creating a separate service or recruitment framework. But if the Commission itself were to manage recruitment at this stage (ahead of the upcoming election), it could disrupt the institution’s core work and give rise to various controversies about recruitment. We don’t want the institution to face any controversy. Therefore, in the interest of transparency, recruitment through the PSC is preferable.”

He added, “Historically, administrative officials have generally been appointed as returning officers. However, this time we’ve begun to break that tradition. Despite our limited capacity and manpower, we’ve already initiated the process by appointing three of our own officials as returning officers. I assure you that, in the changed circumstances, no returning officer will dare to engage in unlawful activities this time.”

The former Electoral Reform Commission conducted a survey titled ‘Opinions on the Appointment of Expected Returning Officers in Elections’. An analysis of the survey results cited in the commission’s report shows that 46.76 percent of respondents favoured appointing the Election Commission’s own officials as returning officers, while 44.04 percent supported deputy commissioners. The rest said they did not know or declined to respond.

Jasmine Tuli, former additional secretary of the Election Commission and a member of the former Electoral Reform Commission, told journalists, “I think that since officials from other services take up responsibilities in the Commission on deputation, they often have limited familiarity with EC officials. As a result, they become uncertain about how much the EC’s own officials can do, or whether they can perform the tasks at all. For the sake of successfully conducting elections, the Election Commission would be more effective if it could utilise its own officials.”