DHAKA, Sept 05, 2016 (BSS) – Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury today said establishing transparency in the electoral process is one of the main conditions for holding free and fair polls.
“Parliament is the center of practicing parliamentary democracy. Therefore, achieving the confidence of the common people in the national polls is the most important… Free, fair and participatory election is the basic foundation of democracy,” she said, speaking at an inaugural function at an auditorium of Redison Blue in the city.
Shirin was inaugurating the ninth meeting of Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBOSA), a regional establishment for cooperation among the SAARC EMBs.
Chairman of Afghanistan Election Commission and FEMBOSA Dr Golazan A Badi Sayeed and Bangladesh Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda also addressed the inaugural session.
Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed delivered the well-come speech in the function.
Speaker Chaudhury said as per the constitution, people are the sources of all power. She stressed on the importance of training on polls and the use of modern technology to achieve the confidence of the common people in elections.
She hoped that the conference would help in exchanging views among the South Asian countries and strengthen democracy.
The speaker said Bangladesh is moving forward under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the country has graduated to a developing country from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status. The country will be turned into a developed nation by 2041, she added.
Election Commissioner Kabita Khanom gave vote of thanks at the meeting.
Indian Election Commissioner (EC) Ashok Lavasa, CEC of Nepal Dr Aiwadi Prashad Javed, Maldives Ambassador Eshath Shan Shakir, EC Chairman of Sri Lanka Mahindra Deshapriya, Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan Sha Faisal Kakar, Secretary of EC of Bhutan Daowa Tanzin, and former and incumbent election commissioners of Bangladesh and FEMBOSA, among others, were present.