The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Gulf Today, a UAE daily, on Friday praised the caretaker government on completion of a digital voters' list of Bangladesh ahead of elections later this year.

The daily, in its editorial, said the government accomplished a 'mammoth task' by preparing the scroll with photo identity cards as well as fingerprints of 80.5 million voters.

It said the Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh also removed some 12.7 million "fake names and duplicate entries" from the old list.

It described the new scroll as "a landmark" on the way to restoration of democracy in the country and was expected to make rigging impossible.

"It is part of the realisation of the interim government's pledge to clean up the country's political landscape and conduct fair and free elections by the year's end", it said.

The electoral roll is the biggest digital database prepared by a developing country, the daily said adding the voters' list at a cost of $65 million involved some 300,000 data operators, including 25,000 army personnel.

"The interim government already introduced new election rules making it compulsory for political parties to register to take part, and giving voters the chance to reject all candidates if they thought none were suitable," the editorial said.

The interim government in Dhaka has also set an example for many countries in the developing world where vote rigging became common phenomenon, it added.

"It is time, clean headed reformists- there should indeed by some in every country- take cue from Bangladesh, and move to streamline their electoral system," the Gulf Today said.