Election Commissioner Rasheda Sultana today said that the Election Commission (EC) has started taking all kinds of preparation to hold the next parliamentary elections to be held in late December this year or early January next year.
“The EC has started all kinds of preparation for holding the next general elections. As part of it, a guideline is being prepared for the polling officers. It will be placed at an EC meeting tomorrow,” she told journalists at her EC office at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon.
Noting that a draft list of voting centres has already been prepared, the commissioner said now training will be imparted to several lakh people, who will perform their duties as presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers.
The EC has a plan to start training programme for trainers by September or October next while training programme for polling officers would begin after announcing the election schedule, Rasheda added.
Replying to a question, she said, “The EC is still hopeful that BNP will participate in the elections. “It is hard to say even before a day of the polls, what would be the political strategy of a party.”
Pointing that this EC has already held several elections and did not face any pressure, the commissioner said, “From outside, many people can assume that EC is under pressure. But, in fact, the EC is not facing any such pressure. None of the EC is under pressure from any side.”
There is nothing the commission can do about political instability, she said, adding, “But the commission believes that it (political instability) will be mitigated. The EC will work with utmost sincerity to hold a free and fair election”.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha