Staff Correspondent 

The Election Commission (EC) has ramped up its preparations for the upcoming national election, following a recent high-level meeting in London with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.

The EC has instructed its officials to promptly complete all necessary tasks so the commission remains ready to deliver the election whenever it is held.

Preparations are now underway in full swing, covering updates to the electoral roll, delimitation of constituencies, renovation and repair of potential polling stations, registration of new political parties and revisions to various electoral laws and policies.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Sunday said the EC must be prepared regardless of the election’s timing. “We are now focusing on our preparations. We must be ready to deliver the election, no matter when it is held,” he told reporters.

The CEC added that significant progress has already been made regarding preparatory tasks for the upcoming election.

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, during a meeting with the Chief Adviser in London on 13 June, proposed that the next general election be held before the start of Ramadan 2026.

In response, the Chief Adviser said he had already announced that the election would be held in early April next year. If all preparations are completed, it may even be possible to hold the election in the week before Ramadan in 2026.

In that case, sufficient progress would need to be made by then regarding reforms and the trial, said Prof Yunus.

During an Eid greetings event on Sunday last, the CEC urged EC officials to begin work in full swing and discharge their duties with neutrality and in accordance with the law.

He said the election schedule is usually announced 55–60 days prior to polling day, and this time too, it will be announced roughly two months in advance.

Voter List Update

The CEC said field-level data collection for possible voters will be completed by 30 June so that the voter list is ready when the schedule is announced.

He said they are considering changes to the voter registration law to allow youths who will be eligible before the election schedule is announced to vote in the next general election.

Delimitation of constituencies

The EC has begun drafting new boundaries for a number of constituencies, with a primary focus on administrative integrity, alongside considerations of population size, voter numbers and geographical integrity.

The commission will soon finalise the draft re-demarcation and publish it to receive and address any complaints. Once resolved, the delimitation will be finalised.

More than 600 applications have been submitted, seeking changes to at least 75 constituencies, with nearly 90% requesting a return to the 2001 boundaries. But, officials said changes will be considered only if the applications have strong merit, and the commission will not touch constituencies where there is no demand for change.

Registration of Political Parties

On March 10, the EC invited applications from new political parties seeking registration by 20 April. A total of 65 parties applied within the deadline. The commission later extended the deadline until June 22.

New political parties are registered under Article 90A of the Representation of the People Order, 1972. If a party is registered with the EC, it can contest the national election with its own electoral symbol.

EC officials said the deadline is unlikely to be extended further due to time constraints before the election.

They said scrutiny of the applications has already begun to complete the registration process swiftly.

Law and Policy Amendment

On March 19, the EC approved policies for election observers, foreign observers, and journalists, but has not yet issued them. A meeting on May 21 approved the policy on polling station installation and management, but returned the draft code of conduct for political parties and candidates for further revision.

Following the London meeting, the EC has emphasised the need to complete these amendments promptly.

Prof Yunus’ London visit very successful: Acting Foreign Secretary

The Commission met again on Monday to review the draft code of conduct and plans to publish the revised rules and policies on its website for public feedback.

Besides, the EC Secretariat has been directed to take steps to restore the authority of the commission—and that of presiding officers—to halt voting when necessary, through amendments to the Representation of the People Order, 1972.

Election officials have also been asked to present a training plan for electoral officers and to prepare a manual for the upcoming 13th parliamentary election.

Possible Polling Stations

The EC has requested the government to provide progress reports on the repair and renovation of polling stations likely to be used in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

On Monday, the EC sent an urgent letter to six government officials, asking them to submit updates on repair and renovation works by July 17.

The six officials are the senior secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, the secretaries of the Primary and Mass Education Ministry, the Technical and Madrasah Education Division, and the LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry, as well as the chief engineers of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and the Education Engineering Department (EED).

Some educational institutions used as polling stations in the last general election, or likely to be used in the next, currently lack boundary walls or have damaged doors and windows.

The EC had earlier instructed the relevant ministries and divisions to carry out minor repairs using their own funds.

There were more than 44,000 polling stations in the 12th Parliamentary Election (held in January 2024), over 40,000 in the 11th election (December 2018), and nearly 38,000 in the 10th election (January 2014).

EC Additional Secretary KM Ali Newaz told UNB on Tuesday that the commission is set to complete data collection of potential voters by 30 June as part of its ongoing preparations.

He added that all other preparatory work, including amendments to various electoral laws, is continuing in full swing.