Dhaka: The Election Commission (EC) is undertaking all necessary preparations ahead of the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election and schedule will be disclosed immediately upon decision, EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said here today. The announcement of the election schedule will be made solely at the Commission’s discretion and will be disclosed immediately upon decision, he said while speaking to journalists at the Election Building in the capital’s Agargaon.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Senior Secretary emphasized that all activities are currently focused on the national election, with preparations progressing according to the timeline provided by the Chief Adviser. As part of the voter list update process, a draft list of over 44.5 lakh excluded voters will be published on August 10, with names of deceased voters being excluded. The final list, after resolving claims and objections, will be published by August 31. Additionally, a supplementary list will be published one month before the election under the revised law.
Regarding political party registration, Ahmed noted that 145 parties have applied for registration. Among them, 80 parties have addressed document deficiencies, 6 have requested more time, and 59 have not responded. These matters will be forwarded to the Commission for further consideration. In terms of audit reports, out of 51 registered parties, 30 have submitted their reports, 15 have requested extensions, and 5 have not submitted any report. The Commission will decide on the necessary actions.
Addressing constituency demarcation, the Senior Secretary mentioned that a draft boundary for 300 constituencies has been published, with claims and objections accepted until August 10. Following hearings, the final boundaries will be determined within August. For observer organizations and foreign observers, applications are open until August 10. A pre-election observer team from the European Union, consisting of three foreigners and four locals, is expected to arrive in Bangladesh in mid-September.
On the topic of legal and regulatory reforms, amendments have been made to the demarcation law, voter list regulations, polling centre establishment policy, local and foreign observer guidelines, and media policy. Efforts are ongoing to include provisions in the code of conduct to prevent the misuse of AI. The election manual will be finalized soon, with polling officials being trained in phases and all election materials to be procured by September 30.
Ahmed also announced that a project worth approximately TK 48 crore is in the approval process to ensure the voting rights of expatriate voters through postal ballots.