Election Commission (EC) will introduce electronic voting machine (EVM) in the next local government elections to secure people's faith in the system before using it in the parliamentary polls.
"If the new system can gain the trust of the people and political parties, we will go for introducing it in the 2014 general election," said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday.
He was speaking at a view exchange meeting on introducing EVM with representatives of different print and electronic media. EC organised the meeting at the conference room of National Economic Council in the city.
Editors, news-editors and veteran journalists of several print and electronic media attended the meeting where two election commissioners M Sohul Hussain and M Sakhawat Hussain were present.
Addressing the function, media representatives emphasised on enhancing security measures in the EVM to prevent vote rigging and launching massive awareness programmes for general people on EVM.
The CEC said EC decided to introduce EVM in Narayanganj City Corporation polls, expected to be held in November, and in Comilla City Corporation polls in January next year.
EC plans to launch a five-year long project to popularise EVM and to use it in phases in different polls, he said.
Talking about different features of the EVM, Huda said this new system will make EC's administrative activities easier during and after elections and save time in counting votes.
EC is also mulling over reducing the time allotted for casting votes, which is currently from 8:00am to 4:00pm, he said.
The CEC also reiterated that EC wants the cabinet division and three ministries of home, local government and rural development & co-operatives and public administration to do the administrative jobs relevant to parliamentary polls in consultation with it, ahead of the polls
Source : The Daily Star
