Next election to be riskiest in history, EC tells officials

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Friday said they want 100 per cent neutral behaviour from election officials in the upcoming national election, which he described as the most risky one.

“...this Commission's bottom line is professionalism and neutrality. You must send out this message,” he said, pointing at the participants of an election training programme in the city.

The CEC made the remarks while inaugurating a two-day training for core trainers at the Electoral Training Institute (ETI) in Agargaon on the occasion of the 13th parliamentary election.

Some 80 core trainers are participating in the two-day programme, who will later provide training to Trainers of Trainers (TOTs) ahead of the upcoming national election, scheduled to be held before next Ramadan in February 2026.

Pointing at the election officials, the CEC reiterated, “We want 100 per cent neutral behaviour.”

He asked them to be prepared to face new challenges, including checking the abuse of social media, misinformation and disinformation, alongside the law and order situation during the upcoming election.

Noting that the essence of the training is morality, he urged the participants to always uphold moral values.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud stressed the need for election officials to perform their duties in line with the constitution and electoral laws.

He said there is no scope to discharge election responsibilities beyond the law and the constitution.

“Whether I can carry out the responsibility entrusted to me properly in line with the laws is the only thing that should be our consideration,” he told the election officials.

“There is no alternative to holding a fair election this time,” he added.

Next election to be most risky: Anwar Islam Sarker

Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker warned election officials that the next general election would be the most risky compared to any election in the past. Therefore, there is no alternative or second option to overcoming this challenge of holding a fair election, he said.

“The slogan of the upcoming election can be: 'Presiding officers will be the nucleus of the election,’” he said, adding that some 50,000 presiding officers will be required for the election, who must be inspired to play key roles in ensuring a fair election.

“We must be firmly committed that we have to hold a good election,” he stressed.

Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abdul Fazal Md Sanaullah said the Election Commission, for the first time, is going to ensure the voting rights of expatriate Bangladeshis in the upcoming national election.

“We hope this time there will be a significant turnout of expatriate voters… A huge enthusiasm is being seen among them to exercise their voting rights,” he said.

Election Commissioner Tahmida Ahmad said the 80 participants are the masters of 5,000-6,000 TOTs, who will later train some 10,00,000 polling officers for the next election.

EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed presided over the inaugural event, while ETI Director General SM Asaduzzaman delivered the welcome speech.