The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal has emphasised that organising free, fair, and impartial elections solely relies on the cooperation of the government's goodwill, political parties, and candidates, rather than the Election Commission (EC) alone.

The CEC made these remarks following a meeting with a delegation from the Jatiya Party (JaPa) at the Election Commission Bhaban in the capital's Agargaon on Monday (15 May).

Expressing optimism that the government would demonstrate a commitment to holding fair elections, the CEC said, "Thus far, I have not encountered any interference from the government. However, I cannot predict what the future holds."

The CEC stressed the importance of maintaining a competitive electoral environment.

During the meeting with the EC, the JaPa Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu expressed concerns about previous experiences with local government elections. 

Mujibul Haque Chunnu informed reporters, "We have fears [of irregularities] about the upcoming five city corporation elections. 

"We are facing issues in certain areas, and some matters are questionable. Hence, I have urged the CEC to ensure free, fair, and impartial elections."

When questioned by journalists, he admitted, "We are currently concerned about the fairness of the elections. However, we have no alternative but to hope for a fair vote. I have shared these concerns because I have confidence in the EC."

Drawing attention to the alleged misconduct of the returning officer assigned to the Barishal City Corporation polls, the senior JaPa leader said, "The returning officer (RO) is favouring the ruling party candidate. He even misbehaved with our candidate.

"Our candidate has written to the CEC, requesting the withdrawal of the RO for Barisal city polls. Our candidate believes that this officer's presence will hinder a fair voting process. We share the same sentiment."