Will regret if we cannot hold acceptable, respectable election: new CEC

The newly appointed chief election commissioner along with three other ECs spoke to The Daily Star after being appointed by President Abdul Hamid today.

“After taking the oath as chief election commissioner, I will exchange views with my colleagues. We’ll see what’s written in the book. There’s only two years left for the national elections, so we have to be prepared,” Kazi Habibul Awal said.

“If we can conduct a respectable and acceptable election, maybe I would feel successful, or else, I would regret.”

Begum Rashida Sultana told The Daily Star that she will work with everyone for the good of the country. Born in Sirajganj, Rashida retired as a district judge.

Md Anisur Rahman, former senior secretary, told The Daily Star that he will carry out his responsibilities that have been vested by the constitution with due diligence.

“We will sit and then decide our next course of action,” he said, adding that he will be honest and dedicated in carrying out his responsibility.

When asked how they will perform duties when opposition BNP and several other political parties had not taken part in the EC appointing process, Md Alamgir told The Daily Star, “We will sit in commission meetings, everybody will give their opinions. Of course we will try to work by taking all political parties into confidence.”

Former EC senior secretary, Alamgir said he had a chance to closely observe the activities of Election Commission while working with the commission secretariat.

“We would try to take lessons from the mistakes of the past election commissions” he said.

Meanwhile, Brig Gen (retd) Ahsan Habib Khan is yet to comment after his appointment as an EC.