Limited EVMs in Bangladesh national polls

[Sayeed]

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'Limited EVMs' in national polls

Dhaka, Oct 16 (bdnews24.com)�The Election Commission will deploy electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the general elections 'on a limited scale' if it gains the trust of the political parties, an Election Commissioner said on Tuesday. 

"No-one disagreed on the use of EVMs in the national elections. But there is a need for creating confidence. We have got time," Jabed Ali told reporters at his office. 

"EVMs will be used partially in the next general election, if need be. We'll enact the law six months before [the elections]," he added. 

The last EC led by ATM Shamsul Huda had used the machines successfully in several local government polls. Before its tenure ended, it had revealed plans to use EVMs everywhere in the next election. 

But since the Kazi Rakib Uddin Ahmed-led EC took the charge, the possibility of EVMs being employed in the polls has grown less. 

No EVM was used in the by-polls in Gazipur's Kapasia on Sep 31. 

Even since Chief Election Commissioner Ahmed announced on Aug 5 that they would not entrust Bangladeshi democracy to computers, several quarters have criticised the decision. The Commission even faced criticisms over the issue in a recent dialogue. 

On Tuesday, Commissioner Ali claimed there had been a 'gap in understanding' about the use of EVMs in national balloting. 

"The target taken by the previous Election Commission is similar to ours. The past Commission had not spoken about use of EVMs in national polls nor there is any rule to use EVMs in parliamentary elections," he said. 

"It had been said that the technology will be used in parliamentary elections once people get used to it in the local government polls," he added. 

EVM in Rangpur polls 

The incumbent EC has decided to use EVMs in Rangpur City Corporation elections, the Commissioner said. 

Its predecessors had used EVMs in Chittagong, Narayanganj and Comilla city corporations and Narsinghdi Municipality polls. 

Ali said electoral laws will be changed to use EVMs in Upazila Parishad elections. 

400,000 EVMs needed 

With around a year left before the 10th parliamentary elections, the Commissioner said it would take 400,000 EVMs for an all-EVM general election. 

"If the technicians work day and night for six months before the elections, they would make at best a few thousand EVMs." 

"(So) it would be possible to use the [few thousand] EVMs partially in the polls," he said. 

The EC is forming a team with its own staff to make and operate EVMs in spite of being dependent on the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.