The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The forthcoming parliamentary election should not be held under the state of emergency, said National Alliance for Election Monitoring (NAEM) yesterday at its launching ceremony in the city.

It, however, expressed its satisfaction that the local bodies elections were held freely at some places under the state of emergency.

NAEM groups eight civic, electoral and human rights and research based organisations. They are Unnayan Dhara, Unnayan Shamannay, Save the Underprivileged and Needy, Power, Participation and Research Centre, Nagorik Uddyog, Bangladesh Nari Progoti Shangha, Indigenous People's Development Services and Brottee.

Representatives of the organisations addressed the launching ceremony.

Sharmeen Murshid of Brotee said that their alliance will ensure comprehensive, systematic and methodological monitoring of the electoral process. It has experiences of working with elections, women, ethnic and religious minority and conducting nationwide surveys with precision she added.

NAEM would give emphasis on establishing a broader base to strengthen citizen's vigilance over the electoral process and make democracy in Bangladesh work, she hoped.

In response to a question, she said, "Fundamentally we emphasise that the parliamentary election should not be held under the state of emergency though under the state of emergency the last local poll was held without any exercise of masculinity. As a result, all sections of people including those belonging to minority community were able to cast their vote fearlessly, she noted.

The alliance will apply various methodological tools of inquiry including qualitative and quantitative. A common methodology will be applied by the Alliance and findings will be shared and both individual view and aggregate of views will have a place.