The Election Commission (EC) is moving forward with preparations assuming that the 13th National Parliamentary Election may be held on February 5 or February 12 next year.
The election schedule may be announced on December 4 or December 7. The EC is also considering the possibility of holding the national election and a referendum on the same day. In this regard, the commission will make a formal decision once it receives the government’s “green signal.”
However, there is still no consensus among political parties regarding the timing and subject matter of the referendum. Concerns over this issue were expressed in a recent meeting of the interim government. The government’s legal adviser, Asif Nazrul, has called upon the political parties to reach an understanding quickly.
Meanwhile, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahman El Mashhud stated, “If a referendum must be held, conducting it on the same day as the parliamentary election would save a significant amount of money.” He believes that if the election is held in February, it would be possible to complete both processes on the same day.
The EC has already finalized the list of polling stations. The number of registered voters now stands at 127,612,384. There will be 42,761 polling centers across the country. Additionally, the process of registering three new political parties is underway.
For the first time, Bangladeshi expatriates living abroad will be able to cast their votes through IT-supported postal ballots. More than one million personnel will be engaged in conducting the election.
The Election Commission is proceeding with the plan that the election will be held in the first half of February, before Ramadan, and the schedule will be announced in December.