Dhaka: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has firmly dismissed allegations of manipulation regarding voter turnout percentages during the recent election, emphasizing that variations in reported figures are a natural outcome of the electoral process. Addressing the media at a post-election briefing on Thursday night, the CEC assured that such fluctuations are expected as results from thousands of polling centres are received at different intervals.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the CEC clarified that debates over voter turnout percentages have occurred in past elections as well, urging the public not to question the current figures. He refrained from releasing the overall voter turnout percentage at the briefing but addressed concerns about changes in reported vote percentages. These changes often lead to questions when results begin to arrive, with some noting that the turnout percentage appears to fluctuate significantly within hours.
The CEC explained that results from over 42,000 polling centres are received gradually and are cumulatively added to the overall tally as they arrive at the Election Commission. He stressed that this process naturally leads to variations in the overall percentage, which should not be construed as irregularities.
Reiterating the integrity of the election process, the CEC categorically denied any manipulation or hidden motives behind the changing figures. He stated, “There is no game of manipulation here and no other intention. We are simply doing addition and calculation and announcing the cumulative results accordingly.”
He further clarified that the Election Commission does not issue any independent or unilateral results. The only results considered in the counting process are those sent directly from the field by returning officers, duly signed and authenticated by them. “The results that the returning officers send from the field with their signatures are the ones we include in our calculation,” he emphasized, highlighting the transparency and reliance on official documentation from the grassroots level.
This clarification comes amid ongoing public discussion and scrutiny over the pace and pattern of result updates as vote counting continues across the country. Earlier in the day, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed reported that 47.91 percent of registered voters had cast their ballots by 2pm at 36,031 out of 42,651 polling centres nationwide. He noted that turnout data from 6,620 centres was still pending.
The referendum and the 13th parliamentary election took place concurrently from 7:30am to 4:30pm on Thursday in a festive and peaceful atmosphere across 299 out of 300 constituencies in the country.