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The Election Commission has cancelled holidays for all officials engaged in the election and those related to the EC offices in Dhaka and elsewhere.
The EC sent out an order on Wednesday, said Joint Secretary Farhad Ahmed Khan.
“Holidays are cancelled for all returning officers, assistant returning officers and officials at the EC Secretariat,” he told bdnews24.
According to the latest schedule, candidates can submit the nominations until Nov 28, as the election day is on Dec 30 and can withdraw the candidature until Dec 9. The candidates are allowed to begin their formal election campaign after the symbol allotment on Dec 10.
There are 66 returning officers, including divisional and deputy commissioners, and 581 assistant returning officers, including the upazila nirbahi officers. The EC has cancelled the holidays for all.
The order also applies to the officials stationed in the EC Secretariat and 518 field-level election offices until the election day.
The aspirant candidates have to remove all posters, banners, festoons of their advance campaign by Nov 18 midnight, said Deputy Secretary for Election Management Atiar Rahman.
“The EC will take measures against those aspirant candidates who fail to remove the campaign materials at their own cost and by the deadline. No-one will be spared. We have given directives to the local administration, police and the Local Government Division.”
The candidates face six-month jail or a fine Tk 50,000 or cancellation of their candidacy in case of breaching the election code of conduct.
The EC can slap a maximum of Tk 50,000 in fine in case a political party defies the election code of conduct.
No campaign is allowed during religious sermons, reports bdnews24.
The EC plans to issue an order to prevent any election campaign during religious programmes.
Usually, religious programmes, such as mahfils, take place at the end of the year throughout the country, said the EC officials.
No election campaign is allowed in mosques, temples or any other place of worship, according to the code of conduct. It also prohibits any personal attack, defamation, racist comments, provocative statements or statements hurting the religious sentiments of others.
The candidates will be ordered not to disobey the election code of conduct.