EC to meet BTRC, mobile operators

The Election Commission will meet Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and mobile operators to prevent violations of the election code of conduct in the social media platforms, including Facebook. 

The commission is set to have the meeting on Nov 26 amid the prevalent advance campaign, spread of false propaganda and rumours through text messages via mobile phones and social media networks.  

EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed will meet the top officials from BTRC, National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre, Teletalk, Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi and Airtel, said the commission’s Senior Maintenance Engineer Ashraf Hossain. 

According to the schedule for the 11th national election, nominations can be submitted until Nov 28 and should be withdrawn by Dec 9. 

The candidates can begin their formal campaigns on Dec 10 after the election symbols are allocated. The aspirants and their aides are using the social media to campaign for the election prior to the permitted date, although it is not permitted by the election code of conduct.

The commission had a plan to overhaul the election code of conduct and put restrictions on the use of social media in election campaigns to prevent the spread of bitterness against opponents.

But the experts suggested the EC discard the plan and focus on creating public awareness on the issue.

Source: bdnews24