Chief election commissioner tells Yunus
Election commissioners, led by their chief AMM Nasir Uddin, meet Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at Jamuna yesterday to brief him about preparations for the upcoming election and referendum. Photo: PID
The Election Commission has wrapped up the bulk of its preparations to conduct the national polls and the referendum, a rare twin political exercise slated for February.
At a meeting yesterday, the EC cleared its final checklist. The election schedule will be announced within this week, voting hours will be extended by an hour, additional secret booths will be arranged where possible, presiding and polling officials will be finalised, and the timeline for dispatching ballot papers to centres has been set.
In keeping with tradition, the commission met head of the government Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at Jamuna yesterday and has sought an appointment with President Mohammed Shahabuddin before publishing the schedule. The Bangabhaban later confirmed the appointment for Wednesday noon.
During the meeting with Yunus, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said, "All preparations for holding the elections are progressing properly and smoothly. The commission is fully ready to organise both the national election and the referendum in the first half of February."
The Chief Adviser's Press Wing added that the commissioners expressed gratitude for the government's cooperation, and noted that election activities were already visible across the country.
Expressing satisfaction, Yunus said, "In the interest of free and fair elections, the government will continue to provide all necessary support to the Election Commission. In this long-awaited election, you [the EC] are in the driver's seat. We must reach the desired goal. We are moving forward to present the nation with the finest election in its history."
SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah told reporters after the meeting at the EC, "We will announce the schedule [for national polls and referendum] this week."
Asked whether BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's illness could delay the announcement, he said, "Political parties have expressed both support and opposition to such views. These are political statements. The EC is proceeding according to its own judgment, in line with its earlier commitment and the government's plan."
EC officials noted that election day is typically before or after a weekend, either Sunday or Thursday.
February 13 and 14 are weekends, and the last three national elections were all held on Sundays.
EXTENDED VOTING HOURS
With two ballots to be cast, time management has become a key concern. Voting will now run from 7:30am to 4:30pm, extending polling by an hour, with half an hour added to morning and afternoon sessions. Election day will be a public holiday.
Where space allows, additional booths will be set up.
A mock vote on November 29 showed that casting two ballots took a voter 3 minutes 52 seconds on average, about two minutes for those who did not read the ballot, and 7–8 minutes for those who did.
The EC has finalised plans for 42,761 polling centres and 2,44,739 booths. Each centre will serve about 3,000 voters, with one booth for every 600 male or 500 female voters. With eight hours of polling, each voter will have 48–58 seconds inside the booth.
BALLOT PAPERS
The EC decided that all election materials, including ballot papers, will reach polling stations the day before voting.
Asked whether this could revive allegations of overnight ballot-stuffing, Sanaullah said, "The EC is confident that such events will not occur this time. The commission aims to restore public confidence and will remain vigilant to ensure the process is free from disruption."
During the January 7, 2024 polls, ballots were delivered to 93 percent of centres on election morning, except remote areas. Traditionally, ballots were dispatched the previous day, a practice questioned after 2018 when opposition parties alleged ballot box stuffing before dawn.
Ballot printing for expatriate voters begins today, with dispatch starting tomorrow. These overseas ballots will not feature candidate names, only party and independent symbols, allowing voters to select their choice once nominations are finalised.
For the referendum campaign, the EC will support the government's programmes. To make the referendum question easily visible, a large-size sample ballot will be displayed before the voter queue at every polling centre, Sanaullah added.
PRESIDING, RETURNING OFFICERS
The EC has prepared lists of presiding, assistant presiding, and polling officers, drawing from government, semi-government, autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies, and state-owned banks.
"Private bank officials will remain on reserve and engaged only if necessary," Sanaullah said.
On returning officers, he said the meeting did not finalise appointments. Traditionally, deputy commissioners serve as ROs in the 64 districts and divisional commissioners in Dhaka and Chattogram. BNP has proposed appointing EC officials instead, and some EC staff have echoed the call.
"Usually, deputy commissioners serve as returning officers. Other proposals are under consideration. The EC is reviewing these, and a decision will be announced in due course," Sanaullah said.
Asked about demands to bar the Jatiya Party and 14-party alliance partners from contesting, he replied, "The commission's stance is that those permitted by law will be able to take part in the polls. The law specifies who can and cannot contest."
On whether an adviser in the interim government may run, he said, "You will see in due time. It is probably not possible."
The commission has already published the final voter list, completed delimitation of the 300 constituencies, approved registration for two new political parties with two more pending, and launched a mobile app for expatriate voter registration.
Meanwhile, the government has amended the Representation of the People Order, updated the electoral code of conduct, and nearly completed major reshuffles in field administration and the police.
