Ballots sent to 116 constituencies, EC expects full distribution by Saturday

Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed has said that ballot papers have already been delivered to 116 constituencies for the national election.

He expressed hope that the remaining ballots will be sent within Saturday (7 February).

Briefing journalists at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital today (5 February), he said there had been slight delays in a few constituencies due to court orders and the reinstatement of candidacies at the last moment, which required reprinting of ballots.

However, he claimed that overall preparations are being completed within the stipulated timeframe.

The EC secretary also said the commission considers misinformation and disinformation to be major challenges for the election.

Discussions are underway with Meta authorities to remove misleading and aggressive content from social media, he added.

Regarding the law and order situation, he said a deployment plan involving the army, police and Ansar members is being implemented.

The army is already in the field and will perform duties centring the election, he added.

On foreign observers, he said the commission did not seek any specific observations from them. "They were primarily briefed on the commission's preparations and security arrangements."

Referring to postal ballots, Akhtar said a large number have already arrived in the country from abroad and the receiving process will be completed within the stipulated time.

"Although there was some delay in the United States due to a snowstorm, the commission has no information about any ballots being held up in the Middle East," he added.