Dhaka: Claiming that his commission had no failure during their tenure, outgoing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on Wednesday said they had been able to conduct 7,407 elections successfully over the last five years.

"Immediately after taking oath, I’d said we would prove through our works that our commission could perform duties neutrally. We've proved this before the nation by holding six city corporation elections in a fair and neutral manner by 2013," he said.

He was replying to a question from a reporter at his valedictory press conference on the last working day at the Election Commission Secretariat.

Pointing at BNP and its allies, Rakibuddin said different political parties also greeted them for arranging the city elections in such a fair and neutral manner in 2013. “Political leaders told us that they criticised the Election Commission in the media only for their political gains and asked the election commissioners not to take it otherwise.”

About the January-5 national election that went largely uncontested, he said, "An unconstitutional and anarchic situation would have created in the country had the election not been held at that time. The commission had been able to conduct the election overcoming the situation."

The outgoing CEC claimed that there had been no democratic path opened for them in the eleventh hour of the nation's transitional period other than arranging the January-5 parliamentary elections for the continuation of constitutional and democratic process after all local and international efforts went in vain.

Mentioning that attempts of the boycotting political parties to resist the polls, he said, "Very few persons can realise how much difficult the arrangement of election amid such violent environment was."   

Rakibuddin said they passed busy time in the Election Commission during their five-year tenure. They faced many challenges and overcome those successfully, he added.  

In reply to another question, he said he did not receive any pressure from any quarter during their tenure. "Frankly speaking, I didn’t get any phone call from anyone to do anything. I didn’t receive any pressure. What we did, we did it neutrally."  

About the 153 constituencies that went uncontested in the 10th parliamentary elections, the outgoing CEC said there is a provision of unopposed election in the law. "We had nothing to do here. It’s a political game. If anyone doesn’t join the election, others will be elected uncontested."

About the new Election Commission formed with KM Nurul Huda as the CEC, Rakibuddin described the former secretary all other newly elected election commissioners as experienced and respected persons, urging people to judge them with their works instead of their preconceived notion.  

Three election commissioners -- Mohammad Abu Hafiz, Brig Gen (retd) Zabed Ali and Md Shah Nawaz -- were present at the press conference. But another election commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mobarak was not present.

The five-year tenure of the CEC and election commissioners other than Md Shah Nawaz expired on Wednesday (Feb 8) while that of Shah Nawaz will expire on February 14.

President Abdul Hamid on February 6 last reconstituted the Election Commission making former secretary KM Nurul Huda the CEC.

The new CEC and four election commissioners -- former additional secretary Mahbub Talukder, former secretary Md Rafiqul Islam, former district and session’s judge Kabita Khanam and Brig Gen (retd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury -- will take oath on February 15.