DHAKA, 9 May 2005 — The government banned campaign rallies yesterday in Chittagong ahead of the mayoral election.
Chief Election Commissioner M. A. Sayeed said the 48-hour ban on public meetings and street rallies was intended to cool the political heat generated by intense electioneering, and army trucks and mobile units of the paramilitary police patrolled the streets.
About 20 people are in the mayoral race but analysts expect the main battle to be between incumbent Mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury, backed by the main opposition Awami League, and Mir Nasiruddin, the candidate of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP),
Both the BNP and the Awami League were viewing today’s polls in Bangladesh’s second biggest city as a test of popularity of the two parties ahead of a general election next year.
“The army and other security forces have been deployed to ensure that voting is free and fair at all polling stations,” Sayeed said.
About 2,000 infantry soldiers were called out in addition to the 12,000 other security personnel to keep order and ensure safety of voters, senior local official Lutfur Rahman Biswas said, who added that no other local election seen such tight security since the country’s independence in 1971.
Although Bangladesh has a reputation of holding credible national elections, local polls are frequently marred by violence, rigging and intimidation. Voting will start 8:00 a.m. and continue till 4:00 p.m. at 577 polling stations in Chittagong.
Meanwhile, Syeed replaced all lower-grade polling officers appointed to conduct the election. Addressing a press conference Returning Officer Golam Quddus said he got the names of about 123 fourth-grade employees who were appointed polling officers.
“But now these polling officers have been replaced by new officers selected from the reserve list,” he said.
Sayeed gave the orders on phone to Quddus to replace the fourth-grade employees with skilled government officials, sources said.
— Additional input from DPA.
