Chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Wednesday urged the nation to ensure a peaceful, fair, and festive voting environment as the country prepares to go to the polls today.

The CEC made the call in a televised address to the nation on the eve of the much-anticipated 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections and the referendum.

Describing voting as both a civic right and a responsibility, the CEC in his short address urged the citizens to conscientiously exercise their voting right.

He also urged the political parties, candidates and voters to act responsibly to maintain peace and harmony throughout the electoral process.

Noting that differences of opinion are a natural part of democracy, the CEC called on all stakeholders to uphold democratic values by accepting victory or defeat as the legitimate outcome of the vote.

He also urged the voters to voluntarily come to the polling centres and cast their ballots for candidates of their choice in a festive atmosphere.

The CEC also appealed to the election officials, members of the law enforcement agencies, judicial and executive magistrates deployed in the field, journalists, observers, service providers and all others concerned to set aside personal inconveniences and cooperate in ensuring a smooth conduct of the polls.

Hoping that collective efforts would lead to a free, fair, peaceful and festive election, he also renewed the call for spontaneous public participation in the democratic exercise.

Earlier on the day, CEC Nasir Uddin affirmed to foreign journalists and election observers that the Election Commission was fully prepared to hold the JS elections and the referendum, set for today, in a free, fair, and credible manner.

The JS election came after the overthrow of the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.

Addressing the foreign guests at a Dhaka hotel, Nasir outlined a set of measures undertaken to ensure transparency, participation, and trust in the electoral process.

He informed the attendees that comprehensive arrangements were made with support from the law enforcement agencies to ensure security during the polling and counting of the ballots.

He added that the presiding officers and polling staff would manage the polling operations and counting at voting stations in the presence of polling agents, accredited observers, and journalists.

Citing that all the preparations followed a coordinated and multi-dimensional approach, the CEC said that necessary electoral law reforms were completed ahead of the national elections, following rigorous consultations with the stakeholders, including political parties and civil society representatives.

He said that updaing the voter register was the commission’s key priority, which led to the enrollment of 45 lakh new voters.

According to EC data, a total of 12,77,11,411 registered voters are expected to cast their votes today.

He added that postal ballots had been introduced for the expatriate voters for the first time. The facilities attracted around 80 thousand voters for postal ballot registration, he said.

He said that the effort was supported by development partners, including United Nations organisations.

Nasir assured that the eligible media personnel would have access to the polling stations along with maintaining voter confidentiality while observers were welcome to make their findings public after the election.

He praised the development partners, including UN organisations for supporting Bangladesh to prepare for the national elections.

Election commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Tahmida Ahmad, Anwarul Islam Sarker and retired Brigadier General Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah, and EC senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed were present.

According to the chief adviser’s press wing, at least 394 international election observers and 197 foreign journalists have arrived in Bangladesh to observe and cover the elections.

Of the international observers, 80 represent various international organisations, 239 have come from bilateral countries, including independent European observers while 51 are individuals affiliated with different global institutions.