Even though transparent, participatory and competitive elections are a constitutional right, the realities today have vitiated those expectations.

The Election Commission has bought 1.5 lakh EVMs in phases since 2018 at Tk 2.35 lakh each, almost 11 times the price available in India.

Did you know that mind-reading was an essential trait for the job of an election commissioner? I did not.

Badiul Alam Majumdar discusses the controvery surrounding the Election Commission's decision to use EVMs with The Daily Star.

Now that the Cumilla City Corporation (CCC) election is over and everything there was to see and hear has been seen and heard, we need to address the elephant in the room.

CEC Kazi Habibul Awal recently said there was no scope for showing muscle power during voting if the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are used during the 2023 general election in Bangladesh.

Should the Election Commission take the controversial route of using EVMs in the next general election?

The Election Commission is meeting with various political and non-political parties and individuals to hold a fair and acceptable national election -- and within the discussion, the use of electronic voting machines or EVMs is getting the attention in the political arena. But why is the EVM debate so crucial especially when the national election is closing in?

We are surprised that the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has so expeditiously approved tens of billions of taka to purchase thousands of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) that are planned to be used in the next election due to be held in 2024. It makes little sense because the next election is over five years away.