Bangladesh Election Commissioner Pledges to Maintain Neutrality in Polls

The Chief Election Commissioner of Bangladesh, AMM Nasir Uddin said that the commission has no intention of supporting or opposing any political party while vowing to be neutral, local media reported.

"We in the commission do not want to participate in politics. We do not want to stand for or against any political party," he said, adding, "We want to be neutral."

He made these comments while addressing the annual general meeting and prize distribution ceremony of the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital on Sunday. According to Bangladesh's leading English-language newspaper, The Daily Star.

Nasir Uddin also mentioned that political influence over the Election Commission was the root cause behind the criticism it had been receiving.

"This is the biggest reason why the Election Commission has been subjected to political control. There may be hundreds of reasons, but I believe political control over the EC is the most significant factor," he said.

The CEC reaffirmed the commission's commitment to conducting elections in a free, fair and credible manner.

The statement gives hope for the revival of democracy in a war-torn Bangladesh. The unceremonious exit of Sheikh Hasina by a major political coup was a blow to democracy.

The mass violence in Bangladesh did not only serve as a blow to its fragile democracy but also undermined the potential of being a secular state.

Bangladesh is holding elections in late 2025 or early 2026, seen as being the only viable solution to the existing crisis in the country.

But the sudden ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the political fallout thereafter has made it challenging for the current caretaker dispensation under Muhammad Yunus to restore order to conduct a fair election.

The political and security vacuum created in August has already given rise to several new actors like the student groups and radical Jamaat-e-Islam. The recent destruction of Dhanmondi 32, the historic residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, is a clear statement on a fragile system in Bangladesh.