Staff Correspondent

The roadmap for the upcoming national election will be announced next week, Election Commission Senior Secretary Md Akhtar Ahmed said on Thursday.

“We have discussed the election roadmap. We hope that we’ll be able to unveil the election roadmap by next week,” he told reporters at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital.

The roadmap will give a clear idea about the preparations for the polls, said the EC Secretary.
Replying to a question, he said the roadmap is expected to outline major electoral preparation and their timeframes, including schedules for dialogues with civil society members and journalists, timelines for amendments and reforms to existing electoral laws.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Saturday said that the next national election is likely to be held in the first half of February and the Election Commission (EC) intensified its preparations across the country.

Akhtar Ahmed said the EC has received 318 applications from observer organisations, which are now under review.

Regarding registration of new political parties, he said the verification of documents submitted by 22 parties is underway and their documents will be to the field offices to verify their authenticity.

About the out-of-country voting (OCV) facilities for expatriate Bangladeshis, the secretary said there was a discussion on Thursday on what the process would be and what time would need for the OCV.

“We discussed what the process will be, where, and which methods will need to be covered. Some discussion still remains. After finalising the matter, we will brief you regularly,” he added.