Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the Election Commission to introduce electronic voting system in the national polls, a commissioner said Monday.
"The prime minister expressed her hope that the e-voting system will be successfully used in the next national election," said M Sakhawat Hossain, speaking to reporters at his office on Monday.
The commissioner said the prime minister had assured the EC of all support in this regard.
Sakhawat said that her suggestion came during an informal discussion on the Armed Forces Day, when she directed the CEC to take necessary measures to launch EVM system for all the elections across the country.
She said that transparent ballot boxes will not be needed if the system is launched, the commissioner added.
On June 29, during the parliament's 2010-11 budget discussion, the prime minister had expressed her hope that e-voting would be introduced in the country.
The Election Commission, with the help of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), tested e-voting at Ward 21 during the Chittagong City Corporation elections.
The EC expects to try e-voting at three wards in the next Dhaka City Corporation elections, Sakhawat said and added some 400 e-voting machines (EVM) have already been procured for the purpose.
He said the EC was also considering introducing e-voting in the upcoming union council and municipality elections.
The commissioner said the system, when introduced, will ensure that no one will be able to snatch vote boxes. "It will make no difference even if the boxes are snatched.
"We have to talk with the Machine Tools Factory in this regard. If the necessary machinery is imported, EVMs can be made with the help of BUET."
A team of BUET researchers is already working in this regard, he said.
"A memorandum of understanding can be signed with Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory to make standard e-voting machines which should be easy to carry. These issues will be discussed in details at the regular meeting of the commission," Sakhawat added.
-bdnews
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