CEC pledges no illegal orders, urges neutrality in elections

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has pledged that the Election Commission will not issue any unlawful or partisan directives in the upcoming 12th parliamentary polls, urging officials to remain neutral and uphold the law.

“We will not give illegal or unfair instructions, nor should you work in favour of any party,” the CEC said on Saturday (Sept 27) while addressing the Election Officers’ Conference 2025 at the Election Commission headquarters in Dhaka.

Nasir Uddin described his role as akin to the head of a family, stressing responsibility in a challenging environment. “Working in Bangladesh is very difficult. We face many visible and invisible challenges. But I am an optimist—I always see the glass half full,” he said.

The CEC noted that the Chief Adviser had expressed confidence in holding a historic election and reaffirmed the Commission’s resolve to act without bias, strictly in accordance with the law. “We will only issue directives for doing the right thing in the right way,” he told officials.

In a symbolic gesture, he asked officers to raise their hands and swear before God that they would not act in favour of any party.

“This election is taking place under special circumstances and requires special management,” the CEC said, stressing that the integrity of the polls would depend heavily on the role of election officials.

The conference, organised by the Bangladesh Election Commission Officers’ Association, was chaired by convenor Mohammad Monir Hossain, with the Election Commission Secretary, commissioners, and other senior officials in attendance.

During the event, Monir Hossain called for deploying EC officials in embassies abroad to oversee voter registration. He also underscored the need for awareness programmes in schools and colleges to combat AI-driven disinformation.

He further argued for upgrading the positions of upazila election officers to ensure parity with other government departments, noting that lower rank disparities risk undermining administrative discipline. He also suggested elevating commissioners’ positions to facilitate smoother engagement with ministers.

The conference discussed appointing EC officials as returning and assistant returning officers to improve enforcement of the electoral code of conduct.

Upazila Election Officers’ Association convenor Ashfaqur Rahman remarked: “If the Commission stands firm, we too at the grassroots will stand firm. The real crisis is a crisis of trust. We want to restore that lost trust through free and fair elections, not repeat the last three polls.”