Editorial
City corp polls
Ensure peace, accept outcome
TODAY'S city corporation polls are unique. Never before had we seen four city corporation elections taking place on the same day. It is unique too in the sense that the elections are taking place at a time when we are in the cusp of a general election.
Local government elections are supposedly non-party affairs, but the pre-poll activities leading up to today had all the characteristics of a miniature-national election. Not surprisingly, because there is a lot at stake for the AL and BNP who will see in the results an indicator of the way the wind will blow come the general election.
The buildup to the polls was peaceful and the contestants and their supporters deserve praise for keeping it so throughout the campaign. Except for the Barisal incident there was no major untoward happening.
For the Election Commission, today's polls are a test case since such a large venture had not been undertaken during the tenure of the current CEC and his deputies. We must, however, record our disappointment at the continuous blatant flouting of election rules by the supporters of the candidates during the campaign. In most cases the commission did nothing to prevent these. The EC might have been more proactive than it was.
It would be for EC now to ensure that voters are able to cast their vote without coercion or hindrance, and any attempt to do is severely dealt with. We would hope too that the results would be accepted with grace and equanimity by all the participants.
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