By Wang Xuemei, Xinhua,
Dhaka : Tens of millions of Bangladesh voters on Monday crowded into polling stations across the country and queued to cast votes in the country’s long-awaited ninth parliamentary elections.
As the Election Commission has declared the election day a public holiday and also imposed restriction on plying of vehicles. Streets here were empty and shops all closed, compared to huge crowds and long queues outside the polling centers.
At 7:15 a.m. local time (0000 GMT), 45 minutes before the voting began, a number of police, Ansar members (village guards) as well as army have been on duty while voters have been in line in front of the Dhaka City College, a polling center in the downtown in capital Dhaka.
“I am eager to vote. Hopefully the election will be free and fair as you see the government has done a lot,” said Marina Yasimin, who came at around 7:00 a.m. and became the first in the female line out of the polling center. The center was divided into two parts — one for female and one for male voters.
Five polling booths have been set up in the female side, expecting to receive some 2,629 voters, returning officer Md. Quamnus Saleheen told Xinhua. Outside the center, volunteers were available to help voters find their serial numbers while police were busy guiding the voters.
Similarly, other polling centers were also under tight security and voters were casting their votes in order as the government has deployed some 600,000 security personnel across the country to ensure peaceful environment in all of the 35,216 polling centers. Some 14 to 18 security personnel were maintaining law and order in each center.
“Everything is running well. We are feeling safe and comfortable. It took me only four or five minutes to cast my vote,” said businessman Shiranj Alan after he stepped out of the polling booth in Gulshan Model High School in north part of Dhaka.
“The discipline of this election is the best compared to previous ones I have seen,” said Ali Afzal Khan, a 82-year-old retired ENT doctor after casting his vote. He said he voted in parliamentary elections for five times in his life.
Mobran Nessa, in her 60s, echoed similar view.
“I’ve seen around a dozen of elections (including local elections) but this time is different. You see there is a festive mood. I’m not at all able to walk. Despite that I came with help of my son to cast vote,” she said.
“I am completely confident that the election will be free and fair. We are expecting to transfer power to an elected government peacefully,” said Chief Adviser of the Bangladesh caretaker government Fakhruddin Ahmed after casting his vote in Gulshan Model High School polling center.
The caretaker government since taking office in January last year has promised to hold the election before the end of the year. A lot of efforts have been made, including a voter list of over 81million voters with photographs.
“Bangladesh people have waited for 7 years. We have seen what steps the government has taken. Now is the time to prove,” said Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, chief observer of the European Union who was monitoring polling in the Dhaka City College.
More than 500 foreign observers are visiting Bangladesh to monitor the polls across the country with some 150 observers from the EU.
“I feel good so far… I’ve seen there is peaceful election,” said Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Douglas Foskett who acts as a poll observer during the elections.
Editor of the local newspaper The Daily Star Mahfuz Anam said, “It’s really an immense pleasure for me to cast vote. We’re keen to return to rules under an elected government.”
“This time we’re enjoying the election as there was no violence except some stray incidents,” said Mahmuda Islam, a school teacher.
Bangladesh’s ninth parliamentary elections, originally due on Jan. 22, 2007, was postponed following violent dispute between major parties over election issue.
More than 1,500 candidates of 39 registered political parties as well as independent candidates are contesting for 300 seats of the country’s ninth parliament.