EC to hold meeting on Sunday to finalize general election schedule

The Election Commission will hold a meeting on Sunday to finalize the schedule of the 11th general election and decide when it will be announced.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda made the announcement while briefing the media outside Bangabhaban after a meeting with President Md Abdul Hamid on Thursday.

He said the commission had completed all preparations for the election and could hold it on seven days’ notice.

Huda, however, declined to comment when asked about the matter of BNP’s participation in the polls.

Led by the CEC, the four election commissioners and the commission secretary met with the president in the afternoon to inform him of the overall preparations for the national polls.

The Election Commission plans to hold the election in the last week of December.

Huda said the president had expressed satisfaction after they apprised him of their preparations, including updated voter lists, delimitation of the electoral areas, and pros and cons of the polls process, to hold a free and fair election.

“But we did not discuss with him the matter of an election schedule.”

Asked whether their plans would change due to the ongoing dialogues between political parties and the ruling Awami League, he said the commission welcomed the initiative and would discuss the matter at their meeting on Sunday.

“We are evaluating the dialogue scenario. But we have not decided on the schedule yet. Not sure whether the election will be held in December or January,” he added.

Responding to a query, the CEC also said they were confident that all political parties would participate in the polls as the commission has gained their trust.

In line with the constitution, the election will have to be held before January 28.

Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed recently said the polls schedule would be announced in the first week of November.

In response to another question about the High Court directive to the commission for not accepting the amended charter of BNP, he said they received the court order and would take the decision in this regard after discussions with the election commissioners.

President: Avoid controversies

During his meeting with top Election Commission officials, President Abdul Hamid asked them and all concerned to continue their relentless efforts to organize the national polls in a credible manner.

He also urged the commission to remain alert against the misuse of technologies in the polls as the technologies were being upgraded every day, the president’s Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told BSS.

The president also advised the commission and others concerned to avoid all sorts of controversies over the election activities.

The commission delegation included Election Commissioners Mahbub Talukdar, Md Rafiqul Islam, Kabita Khanam, and Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury, and commission Secretary, Helal.

The president’s secretaries were also present at the meeting.