Bangla Press Desk: The responsibility of conducting elections rests primarily with the Election Commission, and if the Commission is not neutral, the elections cannot be free and fair, said Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujon), at a press conference.
Sujon urged the government to provide full support to the Election Commission to ensure impartial and smooth elections.
The press conference, titled “The Role of Stakeholders in Ensuring Free and Fair Elections”, was held at the Sagar-Runi Auditorium of the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Saturday.
Sujon’s Chief Executive Badiul Alam Majumdar spoke at the press meet while the organization’s central coordinator Dilip Kumar Sarkar presented a written statement.
Badiul Alam Majumdar emphasized that democracy means equal opportunity and tolerance for all.
He expressed concern that some parties are not willing to provide this level playing field to others. “We had hoped for change, but this remains unacceptable,” he said.
Majumdar urged political parties and candidates to reject intolerance, noting that intolerance often leads to violence.
He also highlighted the issue of money influencing elections. “While there is a saying that votes can be bought, we had proposed reforms for the Election Commission to monitor candidate spending continuously. However, the Commission has largely ignored these recommendations. The persistence of financial influence is continuing past patterns, particularly regarding defaulting loans and the flexibility shown to dual citizens, which he deemed unacceptable.”
BP/TI
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