The Election Commission has discharged its duties impartially without facing any pressure from any quarter during its five-year tenure, outgoing Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad claimed yesterday.

“Just after taking oath five years ago, I announced that I would work impartially. We have proved it to the nation through our activities,” he told reporters at the EC's media centre at the capital's Agargaon.

“I did not receive any calls from any quarter [trying to influence me] and did not face any pressure from anyone. No one dictated what to do. I discharged my duties neutrally,” he said on the last day of his stint.

The Rakibuddin-led EC, which began its journey on February 9, 2012, drew a lot of flak over how it conducted polls to various national and local bodies in the last five years.

For example, it held the January 5, 2014, parliamentary election, boycotted by the BNP-led alliance because it was held under the ruling Awami League-led administration, and not under a caretaker government as demanded by the alliance.

In that election, 153 out of the 300 lawmakers were elected unopposed.

Besides, the commission held city corporation, municipality, upazila parishad and union parishad elections, most of them marred by violence and irregularities. In most cases, the EC neither investigated those nor took any legal action against the offenders.

When his attention was drawn to this, Rakibuddin said, “We held over 60,460 elections during our tenure… We have been successful in holding all the elections fairly and impartially save for some isolated incidents of violence.”

Talking about the January 5 election, Rakibuddin said, “We had no alternative but to hold the polls for continuation of the democratic and constitutional process in the country.

“The political parties that boycotted the election unleashed widespread violence to foil it … You cannot imagine how chaotic and unconstitutional the situation would be if the polls were not held.”

Regarding 153 lawmakers being elected uncontested, he said: “This is legally allowed. The Election Commission has nothing to do here. It's a political game. In politics, if you don't contest elections, others will and they will score big in the empty field.”

Replying to a question, the CEC said, “The country's electoral system has not weakened … There were some incidents of violence in some elections. This has become a culture which affects the democratic advancement.”

Rakibuddin, who was accompanied by other commissioners at the press conference, also wished the upcoming EC well.

The four commissioners are Mohammad Abdul Mobarak, Mohammad Abu Hafiz, Brig Gen (retd) Md Zabed Ali and Md Shah Nawaz.

The new EC, appointed by the president on Monday, will take oath of office on February 15.

The 2019 general election will be held under this EC.

Former secretary KM Nurul Huda will head the new commission. The four other members are former additional secretary Mahbub Talukder, former secretary Md Rafiqul Islam, former district and sessions judge Begum Kabita Khanam and Brig Gen (retd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury.