No irregularities in elections will be tolerated: EC Abdur Rahmanel

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud on Thursday (September 4) reaffirmed the Election Commission’s zero-tolerance stance on electoral irregularities, stressing the need for media cooperation to ensure transparent polls.

“We will not tolerate any irregularities in the elections. Mistakes may happen, but there will be no room for injustice,” he said while exchanging views with the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED) at the EC Building in Agargaon.

The meeting, chaired by EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, was also attended by Election Commissioners Begum Tahmida Ahmad, Md. Anwarul Islam Sarker, and Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah.

Masud assured that proposals submitted by RFED to amend the draft Policy Guidelines 2025 for journalists covering elections would be carefully reviewed. “We want to make it easier for journalists to work during elections… whatever ensures fairness, transparency, and public interest will be adopted,” he added.

Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarker acknowledged a national “crisis of trust,” calling for collective efforts from all stakeholders to restore confidence. “The risk of error is reduced when decisions are made collectively,” he noted.

RFED President Kazi Emad Uddin (Zebel) emphasized that all information related to the electoral process — from candidacy to results — must remain accessible to journalists.