The Election Commission (EC) has announced that voting for the reserved women’s seats in the 13th National Parliament will be held on May 12, with the election schedule for the 50 seats to be declared on April 8.

Speaking to reporters after the commission’s meeting at Agargaon in Dhaka today, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the schedule would include dates for nomination submission, scrutiny and withdrawal.

The commission has also taken a policy decision not to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in upcoming local government elections. However, it has not yet set a timeline for those polls.

Under the Representation of the People Order (RPO), candidates are required to submit their election expenditure accounts to the EC within one month of the gazette notification of results.

The commission has now extended this deadline by another month, citing requests from candidates who faced difficulties, including illness.

“The deadline for submitting election expenditure returns has been extended by one month,” Akhtar Ahmed said.

“Several candidates applied for extensions due to illness and other reasons. We have granted them more time,” he added.

When asked how many candidates had submitted their accounts or sought extensions, the secretary said he could not provide figures but confirmed the extension.

On EVMs, Akhtar Ahmed said, “EVMs were not used in the national election, and they will not be used in local government polls either.”

He added that investigations are ongoing by the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Comptroller and Auditor General, and a commission reviewing the last three parliamentary elections.

“Once those reports are available, decisions will be made,” he said.

Responding to a query on the financial burden of storing unused EVMs, he said the commission has yet to calculate the costs but will do so.

On whether the machines were faulty, he said, “We will wait for the investigation reports. The public has lost confidence in EVMs, and questions remain about their lifespan.”

Meanwhile, the EC said there is no reason for concern regarding the Sherpur-3 by-polls and the Bogura-6 general election, both scheduled for April 9.

Law enforcement agencies and presiding officers have assured the commission of a normal situation in both constituencies. Sherpur-3 has 129 polling centres, while Bogura-6 has 151.

The commission is also awaiting court directives before announcing results for Chattogram-2 and Chattogram-4, where outcomes remain pending.

The EC secretary further confirmed that all 80 domestic observer organisations that monitored the 13th parliamentary election have submitted their reports.

“They made various recommendations. We will hold seminars and workshops to review them, and necessary amendments to laws or rules will be made accordingly,” he added.