Low turnout made city polls questionable: Mahbub

Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukder on Tuesday said lack of presence of the opposition  
in the just-concluded Dhaka city corporation polls had made the election questionable.
"What is the future of election and democracy in Bangladesh? We have the
    questions before us as people began to lose their interest in voting," he told reporters at his secretariat.   
He, however, said, the absence of the opposition from polling stations had also raised questions.
He underscored the need for the reformation of the election process and management in the country.
He said low voter turnout in the Dhaka's two city polls was an 'ominous' sign for democracy.
"The abnormal low voter turnout in the city corporation polls seemed normal to me. It is an ominous sign for democracy," he added.
Elections to the Dhaka's two city corporations were held on February 1 with a 29.002 percent voter turnout in the DSCC while 25.30 percent in the DNCC. In total 27 per cent voters cast their votes in the polls.
The violation of electoral code of conduct was marked during the campaigning, he said, adding that but the EC did not take visible action against the allegations.