Desk Report:
The Election Commission is committed to conducting fair, beautiful and credible elections, said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin. He said this on the first day of the dialogue ahead of the 13th National Parliament elections at the Election Building in Agargaon in the capital on Sunday with representatives of civil society, current and former teachers of various universities and colleges.
The CEC said, “We have come a long way to conduct elections smoothly. We have updated the voter list by going door to door, more than 2 million dead voters have been removed from the voter list, and the number of female voters has been reduced from what was previously more than male voters.”
Nasir Uddin also said, “We are amending 9 laws. We have taken forward many preparations for fair elections. A lot has happened in the discussions of the Reform Commission. If we have any gaps, you will fill them.”
Mentioning the provision of voting for expatriates as a milestone work, he said, “Even returning officers from the country could not vote. In addition, arrangements will be made for polling officers, government officials and employees, and those in legal custody to vote, Insha Allah.’
Four election commissioners and senior EC secretary Akhtar Ahmed and other senior EC officials are present in the dialogue.
12 civil society and intellectual representatives are present in the dialogue. They are former caretaker government advisor Rasheda K Chowdhury, Jahangirnagar University professor Al Mahmud Hasanuzzaman, former ambassador Humayun Kabir, Chittagong University vice-chancellor Professor Muhammad Yahya Akhtar, security analyst Md. Mahfuzur Rahman, Professor Abdul Wazed, BGMEA director Rashid Ahmed Hossaini, poet Mohan Raihan, Police Reform Commission’s Mohammad Harun Chowdhury, student representative Zarif Rahman, Professor Robayet Ferdous and TIB director Mohammad Badiuzzaman.
EC’s assistant director of public relations wing Md. Ashadul Haque said that the EC will hold a dialogue with 33 academicians from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.
It is learned that the EC will hold a dialogue with political parties, journalists, election experts, observers, women leaders, July fighters and all other concerned after the Puja holidays in mid-October.
Currently, there are 52 registered parties (including the Awami League). The registration system was introduced in 2008 before the ninth parliamentary elections. So far, 56 parties have been registered by the EC, but later the registration of five parties has been cancelled due to non-fulfillment of conditions, failure to comply with conditions and court orders. The parties are Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Freedom Party, United Citizens’ Movement, PDP and JAGPA. Recently, although the registration of Jamaat-e-Islami and JAGPA was restored by a court order, the EC has only restored the registration of Jamaat. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Labor Party has been registered as a new party by a court order.
The EC is working towards holding the elections in the first half of February 2026, before Ramadan. The schedule may be finalized in the first half of December.
