Dhaka: President Md Shahabuddin today expressed his commitment to providing full support and cooperation to the Election Commission (EC) to ensure that the upcoming 13th national elections and referendum are conducted in a free, fair, and meaningful manner. This assurance was conveyed during a meeting at Bangabhaban, where Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin discussed the Commission's preparations and the election schedule with the President.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed briefed reporters at Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon, outlining the details of the morning meeting. The discussion centered on pre-election preparations and other relevant issues, with the President expressing his readiness to assist the EC in achieving a successful electoral process.
The meeting was attended by Election Commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Begum Tahmida Ahmad, Md Anwarul Islam Sarker, Brigadier General (Retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah, and EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. The EC secretariat shared updates on the voter list and political party registration status with the President.
During the discussions, President Shahabuddin inquired about the logistics of organizing the elections and referendum on the same day, including details about ballot paper preparation, distribution to voters, anticipated voting duration, and the vote-counting method. After receiving a comprehensive briefing from the Election Commission, the President expressed satisfaction with the Commission's preparations.
The President showed particular interest in postal voting, raising questions about its procedural and technical aspects. His curiosity was met with detailed explanations from the EC, which assured him that experts would address these issues.
Furthermore, the EC secretary announced that the CEC's speech would be recorded at 4 pm, with prior notification sent to Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar.