After announcing it in the ‘roadmap to election’ in last year, the Nurul Huda-led Election Commission has decided to drop its initiative to amend the Representation of People Order (RPO).
The move confirms that electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be not used in the next national election slated later this year.
Election Commission Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed told Bangla Tribune on Sunday that it’s “not happening for the time being”.
In February last year, the president appointed former secretary KM Nurul Huda as the chief election commissioner.
He has former additional secretary Mahbub Talukder, former secretary Rafiqul Islam, former district judge Kabita Khanam, and former brigadier general Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury as election commissioners in his team.
Four months later, the commission unveiled it roadmap to the national election, which included legal reforms to strengthen the electoral process.
Later, a panel led by Commissioner Kabita Khanam was formed for amending the RPO, which took input from field-level officials.
Following a four-month scrutiny and review, it forwarded 35 recommendations to the EC, which included the use of EVM but skipped the matter of deploying troops for the polls.
The recommendations were presented before the EC during a meeting on Apr 12, which, however, was sent back to the panel for further review.
EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed told the media then that the Commission felt a further revision was necessary. He, however, added the Khanam-led panel was not given a deadline.
Officials familiar with the matter said that the whole process stopped there, but the Commission had appointed a consultant over amending the RPO.
With less than six months left for the election, it’s not possible anymore, they said.
Commissioner Khanam confirmed of appointing a consultant. “The proposed RPO is with the consultant. But I have no knowledge on any update.”
However, a day before the EC’s Apr 12 meeting, an Awami League delegation met the election commissioners.
Emerging from that meeting, HT Imam, an adviser to PM, told the media, “In the wake of media reports over RPO amendment, we wanted to know about the issue. However, we also discussed the electoral code of conduct.”
EC Secretary Ahmed told Bangla Tribune on Sunday, “The Election Commission had taken an initiative to amend the RPO. But that’s not happening for the time being.”