Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
Election to the 13th National Parliament of Bangladesh -- necessitated following the regime change through mass uprising -- is planned for the first half of February next in the final poll roadmap.
Election Commission senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed rolled out the election roadmap, sans a specific voting date, at a press conference Thursday at EC office in Dhaka.
The tentative poll map has already sparked wide discussions. According to the EC, 24 major issues will be addressed in 207 steps, each with specific deadlines.
The roadmap includes several important activities in the run-up to the crucial polls in the backdrop of wide-scale reforms undertaken in the interregnum.
From the last week of September, the EC will hold dialogues with eight groups of stakeholders, including political parties, civil society, and journalists.
These discussions will continue for about one and a half months until the first week of November.
The voting list will also be finalised in phases. A draft list will be completed by August 31, followed by a final voter list to be published on November 30.
At the same time, election laws and rules are being reviewed. Proposals for amendments will be prepared by the end of August, and the final process is expected to be completed by September 30 with the help of the Law Ministry.
Along the timeline, political-party registration is scheduled to be completed by September 30, while the redrawing of parliamentary constituencies will be finished by September 15 and gazette the same day.
The GIS maps of constituencies will be published by September 30.
Election-observer registration will be completed by October 22, and certificates will be issued on November 15.
Permission for foreign observers and journalists will also be finalised by mid-November.
The commission has also outlined deadlines for election logistics. Printing manuals, posters, and ID cards will be completed by September 15.
Transparent ballot boxes and other election materials will be ready by November 30, while the collection and distribution of all necessary items will be finished by December 31.
Training for election officials will begin on August 29 and continue until a few days before the nation goes to the high-voltage polls.
The election budget will be finalised on November 15. Meetings with law-enforcement agencies regarding allocation of funds will be held between November 16 and 20.
Meanwhile, all manpower and administrative arrangements, including the appointment of polling officers, are to be completed by November 30.
Security preparations will begin with a first meeting on September 25.
Other measures in the roadmap include completing all ICT-related work by October 31 and holding coordination meetings with the Information Ministry, ICT Ministry, telecom operators, and the BTRC by November 15.
Awareness campaigns for voters will end by November 30. The Commission also plans to finalise arrangements for election results, including electronic display and unofficial dissemination of results.
Postal voting for expatriates will be arranged by January 2026.
Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus has already announced that the 13th National Election will be held before Ramadan, in the first half of February 2026, and has officially informed the EC.
"We were told through a letter from the office of Chief Adviser to arrange the election before the next Ramadan, in February 2026... So, we are today informing you of our action plan. Targeting the next national elections, we've prepared our action plan…," the secretary said.
Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin has said, "The election schedule will be declared about two months before polling day, most likely in the first half of December."
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com