Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Tuesday said the Election Commission aims to draw on the experiences of former election officials to identify loopholes and prevent a recurrence of malpractices seen in past elections.
“We’re not here just only to hear about how to present the nation a fair and credible election. Many of you also know the ways elections could be manipulated in the past since you worked with the EC during your long services. We want to know where we need to intervene to prevent future malpractices,” he said, pointing at the former election officials.
The CEC made the remarks while addressing a discussion at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital with participation of former EC officials and election experts, as part of the Commission’s ongoing series of dialogues with different stakeholders ahead of the 13th parliamentary election planned to be held in early February 2026.
He said the former officials had practical experiences as they worked in the field during the previous elections.
“Since you were involved practically here, you know better than us about where the gaps lie. We would like to seek the recommendation so that we can close the gaps. We didn’t invite you just for a discussion. We want your valuable insights and suggestions so that we can plan our next election procedure more effectively,” Nasir Uddin said.
The CEC said he took the issue of arranging a fair election as the last scope in his life to serve something for the country as his age has already crossed 73 years.
“I take this as the last opportunity of my life to do something meaningful for the country. I’m over 73 now and have no personal ambition left. My only commitment is to deliver a fair, transparent, and widely accepted election but that will not be possible without everyone’s cooperation,” he said.
Eight former election officials Md Zakaria, Khondaker Mizanur Rahman, Md Nuruzzaman Talukder, Mihir Sarwar Morshed, Shah Alam, Mir Mohammad Shahjahan, Misbah Uddin Ahmed, Md Shahedunnabi Chowdhury and Mahfuza Akter, and FEMA President Munira Khan attended the talks.
The EC started the series of the dialogues amid talks with academics and civil society representatives on September 28.
