Returning Officers Now Have Legal Power to Cancel All Centers in a Constituency
Election Commissioner Md. Anwarul Islam Sarkar stated that the Representation of the People Order (RPO) has been amended, granting the Returning Officer the legal authority to cancel the results of all polling centers in a constituency if they deem it necessary and justifiable. However, he cautioned that this does not mean the election for a constituency will be canceled arbitrarily.
He made these remarks while addressing a day-long workshop on “Identifying Challenges and Finding Solutions for Duty Performance of Polling Officials in the Electoral Process” as the Chief Guest. The event was held at the Codec Training Center in Kuakata, Kalapara Upazila, Patuakhali, on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM.
Increased Power of Presiding Officers
The Election Commissioner also highlighted the increased authority of Presiding Officers in the upcoming election, noting that traditional posters will not be used.
The Election Commissioner said: “This election will not have posters, and this election will grant the Presiding Officer a lot of power. What is that power? If the Presiding Officer informs the Assistant Returning Officer or the higher authority, ‘I was not in a position to declare the results of the center, therefore I declare the center canceled,’ we will accept that.”
Focus on Fair Election and Public Funds
Stressing that the government is taking all-out preparations to hold the upcoming election in a fair and peaceful environment, he added a crucial point about public funds:
He emphasized: “It must be remembered that every taka behind this election is the money of the common working people. Billions of takas will be spent on this election, and we must ensure that it is not misused.”
Workshop Details
The workshop was organized by the Patuakhali District Election Office under the ‘Capacity Building of the Commission Secretariat in Using ICT in the Electoral Process (CBTEP)’ project, held at the Codec Training Center conference room in the Kuakata tourist area.
The event was chaired by Md. Faridul Islam, Regional Election Officer of Barishal region. Special guests included Akhtar Ahmed, Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat; Mohammad Shahid Hossain Chowdhury, Deputy Commissioner of Patuakhali; Additional Superintendent of Police Opu Sarowar; Deputy Chief Muhammad Mostofa Hasan of the Election Commission Secretariat; and Kaushar Hamid, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Kalapara.
A total of 60 officials from the election offices and various government departments of the eight Upazilas of Patuakhali—including Kalapara, Galachipa, Dashmina, Mirzaganj, Bauphal, Dumki, and Rangabali—participated in the workshop.
