e-News® | The NEWS Company…DHAKA, Dec 30, 2015 : The voting in the first-ever local government election with party symbols to 234 municipalities ended that began across the country this morning in a festive and peaceful manner amid stringent security measures. The voting began at 8am and it ended at 4pm without any break. Around 7.1 million voters exercised their rights of franchise to elect mayors and councilors in the 234 municipalities. The very specialty of today’s municipal polls is that mayoral candidates are vying for their post with party symbols, the first ever in Bangladesh.
A total of 945 aspirants from 20 parties and independent contestants are in the fray for the posts of mayor with 20 mayor candidates being women. Some 228 candidates of Awami League, 225 of BNP and 74 of Jatiya Party are contesting in the mayoral race. There are over 11,000 candidates contesting for general councilor seats and reserved posts. Among them, 94 councilors and 40 women councilors have won uncontested.
About 66,000 officials as presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers will conduct the votings in about 3,555 voting centers with 21,571 polling booths. Public Administration Ministry issued a notification announcing general holiday in the concerned municipalities on December 30 marking the polls. Election Commissioner M Shah Newaz told BSS that all preparations were taken with adequate number of law enforces in the field to ensure free and fair election in all the municipalities.
“The municipal elections will be free and fair as the voters are going to exercise their rights of franchise in a peaceful environment,” he said on a query. According to the Election Commission, more than 1,00,000 members of the law enforcement agencies including
and Ansar have already been put on election duty to ensure total safety and security. In addition, 1,204 executive and judicial magistrates were looking after the overall security.
EC officials said BGB would be deployed in 229 municipalities and coast guard in six coastal municipalities. Adequate number of law enforcers would be on duty in and around both sensitive and normal polling centers.