News Flash
By Habibur Rahman
DHAKA, June 21, 2025 (BSS) - The Election Commission (EC) is proceeding with preparations to hold the 13th parliamentary elections in time.
Following the initial declaration by the Interim Government's Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, the EC has instructed its officials to expedite all essential tasks so the EC remains ready if the elections are held anytime between December 2025 and June 2026.
Additionally, during a meeting in London with BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on 13 June, the Chief Adviser also said that if preparations are completed in time, the national elections can be held in the country in the week before the start of Ramadan in 2026.
However, in that case, considerable progress will need to be made on reforms and justice.
In this regard, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin told reporters on June 15, "No matter what the election time may be, the EC has to be ready. We are now focusing on our preparations."
As part of the election preparations and following the commission's directives, activities such as updating voter lists, redrawing constituency boundaries, renovating and repairing polling stations, procuring essential voting equipment, registering new political parties and domestic observer organizations, amending various election laws and regulations, and recruiting and training election officials are all progressing rapidly.
In addition, the commission's work plan encompasses dialogue with stakeholders, revisions to various laws and regulations including the RPO, and updates to multiple election-related manuals and guidelines.
According to EC officials, they are currently awaiting directives from the Electoral Reforms Commission and the National Consensus Commission.
On Saturday, the Chief Election Commissioner said that the date for the 13th National Parliament election will be announced on time, along with unveiling the election schedule in the stipulated time.
"While we are not in continuous communication with the government, interaction is taking place to some extent. The election schedule will also be announced as planned," he added.
He continued, "What we call an action plan, many people call it a roadmap. The work of preparing it has actually started since we took charge. A clear timeline has been set outlining when each task will begin and when it will be completed."
Last Thursday, the commission gave final approval to the draft of the Political Parties and Candidates Code of Conduct, 2025, which prohibits the use of posters in the upcoming parliamentary elections, sets a maximum fine of Tk 1.5 lakh for violations, and introduces new provisions promoting environmentally friendly campaign materials.
On the other hand, the work of demarcation of parliamentary constituencies in the National Parliament may be completed by the end of this week, said Election Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah.
Sources said 638 applications have been submitted to the EC for demarcation of 76 parliamentary constituencies.
On the other hand, the work of preparing the voter list is also almost at its final stage as the commission has time until June 30 for it. EC officials said they hope to complete the work of preparing the voter list within the stipulated time.
EC officials said that there are many election-related purchases, such as transparent ballot boxes and lids for each polling station, voter lists with photos, ballot papers, indelible ink, several types of seals, stamps, stamp pads, ink, bags, 17 types of envelopes, paper, pens, knives, candles, matches, and many other things.
Among these, the paper for ballot papers is usually taken from the state-owned Karnaphuli Paper Mill, while the ballot papers are printed at the government printing house after the candidacy is finalized. Apart from this, several other items have to be purchased through open tenders.
Officials said that the tender process for procuring goods has already been completed, and the evaluation phase is now close to conclusion. A work order is expected to be issued during the first week of July.
In addition, related tasks such as preparations for constructing voting centers are also underway. Significant progress has been made on finalizing the observer policy.
The deadline for submitting applications for the registration of new political parties is set to expire on June 22.
According to EC, on March 10, the Election Commission invited applications from new political parties for registration by April 20. A total of 65 parties applied during that period. The EC later extended the deadline until June 22.
In this regard, Election Commission Additional Secretary KM Ali Newaz told BSS: "Our voter list work is almost at its final stage."
"The draft code of conduct for political parties and candidates was finalized in the commission meeting on Thursday. Now, we are working on demarcation of the parliamentary constituencies. This too will not take long," he added.
Regarding tender for purchasing goods, he said evaluation process of the tender is also nearing completion and "we will be able to issue this work order in the first week of next month".
He also said that preparations are underway for related tasks, including the construction of polling stations. In parallel, significant progress has been made in developing policies related to election observers, he added.
KM Ali Newaz mentioned that certain legal amendments are necessary, and the commission is actively working on them. "We've taken up these responsibilities to ensure that the national elections can be held on schedule. All our preparations are being advanced with that goal in mind, and we're making every effort to complete them accordingly," he said.
Addressing the challenges ahead, he said that conducting the national elections is undoubtedly a complex task, but not an impossible one. "We must proceed with great care. From that perspective, we are preparing thoroughly to ensure the elections are completed successfully."
