C T Online Desk: Shakhawat sabbir | Special Correspondent : The Election Commission (EC) has announced the schedule for the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election, setting 12 February as the polling date. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A M M Nasir Uddin declared the schedule on Thursday (11 December) through a pre-recorded speech aired on Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar.
Earlier on 9 December, the CEC had hinted that the schedule would be released within the week. He made the remark after a meeting with Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed. Prior to the announcement, the CEC held a nearly hour-long private meeting with the Chief Justice to discuss various election-related matters. On Wednesday, the EC delegation also met with the President, following which the speech for the schedule announcement was recorded at 4 pm.
Election Commissioner Md. Anwarul Islam Sarkar said the EC is preparing around 20 circulars related to constituency demarcation, appointment of returning and assistant returning officers, mobile courts, magistrates, electoral inquiry committees, monitoring cells and law-and-order management.
Commissioner Abdur Rahman Masud noted that maintaining law and order before the announcement is not the EC’s responsibility. Equal opportunities for all candidates will be ensured once the schedule comes into effect. He added that symbols of banned or suspended parties will not appear on postal ballots.
Officials said the EC wants at least a week before Ramadan to conduct fresh voting in any centres where polls might be suspended due to irregularities. After the official gazette is published, the majority party will also require time to form the new government before the holy month begins.
Since independence, Bangladesh has held 12 parliamentary elections. The Awami League has formed government six times, the BNP four times, and the Jatiya Party twice. Due to political instability, several parliaments could not complete their full term, while the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh parliaments ran their full tenure.
