Dhaka: Election Commission Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhter Ahmed announced today that the Election Commission (EC) has completed over 90 percent of the preparations for the upcoming 13th national elections. "Election preparation is 90-95% complete for a parliamentary . . . it would be cent percent after the registration of observers and political parties by next week," Ahmed stated during a briefing with journalists at his office in the Nirbachon Bhaban, located in the city's Agargaon area.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the EC Secretary acknowledged that the commission is currently behind on two key issues: the registration of political parties and the registration of election observer groups. He mentioned that 22 political parties have been initially considered for registration and that relevant information has already been collected from the grassroots level, expressing confidence that the process will be completed within the week.
In response to a question, Akhter Ahmed noted that the commission is in the process of scrutinizing local observer organizations, with the expectation of completing this work by the end of the week. Regarding a proposal for amending the Representation of the People Order (RPO) by the BNP, he explained that the issue is currently pending with the law ministry and that the commission will make a decision on it later.
The Consensus Commission has conducted detailed discussions with various political parties on the issue, and according to Ahmed, there is no dispute to this end. The commission is considering proposals regarding RPO from five different dimensions. Addressing questions about the allocation of the election symbol for the National Citizen Party (NCP), the EC Secretary clarified that the commission has already made its position clear and that there are currently no alternative proposals on the matter.