We have been able to hold a beautiful national election: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Monday said the commission has been able to hold a peaceful and credible national election through the cooperation of all stakeholders.

"Through our collective efforts, we have been able to fulfill the promise we made to the nation," he told a views-exchange meeting marking the International Women's Day at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital's Agargaon.

Nasir said he had not yet met a single person who claimed that they were unable to cast their votes on Election Day.

Mentioning that voters were able to cast their ballots without any obstacles, the CEC said during his visits to polling centres he asked voters whether  they had faced any difficulties while voting.

"Not a single person told me that they encountered any problem," he said. Even elderly women voters informed him that they faced no difficulties while casting their votes.

"Everyone said they voted peacefully along with their  families," he added.

The CEC also reiterated his objection to the use of the term "minority".

"We are all Bangladeshis. What minority is there here? We are one nation. Religiously there may be divisions, but I personally believe everyone is equal and everyone has equal rights," he said.

Referring to the contribution of women to the country's economy, the CEC noted household work done by women is not counted in the calculation of GDP.  "If the value of women's household work were monetized, Bangladesh's GDP would be three times higher than it is now," he said.

He also praised the performance of female officials in the recently concluded election. "After the election, I received many allegations of irregularities, but interestingly I have not yet received any complaint of bias or irregularity against any female presiding officer," he said, adding that there are plans to introduce special awards for female election officials in recognition of their good performance.

Highlighting the success in increasing female voter registration, the CEC said there was previously a gap of around three million between male and female voters. Due to the door-to-door voter list update campaign, that gap has now been reduced to one million, he said.

He further said that when elections are conducted well, political objections usually arise after voting, which has become a culture in the country. "However, I have not yet heard any complaint that voters at the grassroots level were unable to cast their votes," he added.

The CEC said that Bangladesh's economy largely stands on the contributions of women, and therefore they must never be underestimated.

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The event, held under the slogan "Ensure equality-men and women together to  build the future," was chaired by Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed.

Election Commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Begum Tahmida Ahmed and Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar also spoke at the programme.

Additional Secretary of the EC Secretariat KM Ali Newaz, UNDP Resident Representative Stefan Liller, UN Women Country Representative Gitanjali Singh and UNESCO Country Representative Susan Vize were also present, among  others.