Leaders of SUJAN have demanded holding a free, fair, transparent and credible election in the country under an election-time neutral government.
To this end, they also called for holding a dialogue among the political parties and following the legal process in drafting a national charter for arranging the upcoming parliamentary polls in a free and fair manner.
The demand came at a roundtable discussion titled "Amending the Representation of the People Order, 1972 and Fair Election" organised by SUJAN (Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik), a civil society platform, at the National Press Club on Sunday.
President of SUJAN M Hafizuddin Khan presided over the discussion meeting.
Speakers at the programme said holding a free, fair and participatory election could only be possible if the government wants it.
Calling upon the government to ensure the people's right to vote, they said the people of the country are now worried about the national elections, people's right to vote and handover of power peacefully.
"We believe that the RPO and other related laws should be amended for the sake of holding a free and fair election," Mr Hafizuddin said while presiding over the event.
He said necessary amendments to the RPO and related laws must be made as per the opinions of the political parties.
"We see that the Election Commission (EC) becomes serious about using of electronic voting machine (EVM). But many countries in the world are retreating from their plans to use EVM," he said and suggested not to use EVM in the election right now.
He said a fair and neutral election could not be possible under any political government. He also urged all to remain vigil in this regard.
Secretary of SUJAN Dr Badiul Alam Majumder said holding a fair election depends on proper electoral laws and their strict enforcement.
He said the EC has sent proposals for making some amendments to the RPO and introducing EVM in the elections sans consultations with political parties.
SUJAN central committee members Ali Imam Majumder, Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Prof CR Abrar were also present.
