Election campaigning ends at 7am tomorrow: EC secretary

All forms of election campaigning by contesting candidates will end at 7am on Tuesday (10 February) ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election and referendum scheduled for 12 February.

Under the law, all campaign activities by political parties and candidates are prohibited from 48 hours before polling begins, Election Commission Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said yesterday (8 February).

He said the 13th national parliamentary election and referendum will be held on 12 February, with voting taking place from 7:30am to 4:30pm across 299 parliamentary constituencies nationwide using transparent ballot boxes and paper ballots. 

"A total of 1,050 executive magistrates will be deployed from 8 to 14 February mainly to conduct mobile courts. Judicial magistrates will also be deployed during this period, while the Electoral Enquiry and Adjudication Committee has already begun field operations," the EC secretary said.

Election postponement rumours false, EC says

The Election Commission has urged people not to believe rumours claiming that the upcoming referendum and the 13th national parliamentary election have been postponed.

In a press release sent to the media yesterday by EC Public Relations Director Md Ruhul Amin Mollik, the commission said some individuals are spreading false claims on social media about the polls being delayed.

The EC said the referendum and the national parliamentary election will be held on 12 February in 299 parliamentary constituencies across the country, excluding Sherpur-3, and requested citizens not to pay heed to the misinformation.

EC asks returning officers to issue cards to suspended PASA

The Election Commission has instructed returning officers to issue observer cards to the People's Association for Social Advancement (PASA), despite the organisation's approval having been suspended earlier.

Although the EC had initially allowed PASA to deploy more than 10,000 observers, it later withdrew the decision amid criticism. However, the EC's Public Relations Wing sent fresh instructions to returning officers yesterday to issue observer cards to the organisation, according to a directive signed by EC Public Relations Director Md Ruhul Amin Mollik.

The EC said that, in line with the "Election Observation Guidelines 2025," a total of 55,454 observers from 81 registered organisations have been approved for the election – 7,997 centrally and 47,457 at the constituency level. The commission had issued specific instructions on observer ID cards and vehicle stickers, and returning officers were asked to follow those rules in issuing cards to the suspended organisation.

Recently, PASA was given approval for 430 central observers and 10,129 field-level observers, bringing the total number of approved observers to 55,454.

Canada to provide $2m in technical support to EC

Canada will provide $2 million in technical assistance to the Election Commission ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election and referendum.

Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Ajit Singh shared the information yesterday after signing an agreement with the EC. UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stefan Liller was present at the signing.

Ajit Singh said Canada is proud of Bangladesh's progress towards holding credible, inclusive and transparent elections, adding that Canada remains a long-standing partner and friend of Bangladesh. 

"More than 100,000 Bangladeshi-Canadians now serve as a bridge between the two countries," he said. 

Describing the 12 February polls as one of the world's largest elections, he said developments in Bangladesh matter to Canada and the global community, and expressed hope for a fair, acceptable and inclusive election.

Stefan Liller thanked Canadian taxpayers for supporting the UN consortium working closely with the Election Commission, noting that Unesco, UN Women, UNODC and UNDP have been providing technical assistance to the EC over the past year at its request.

He added that the new Canadian funding would further strengthen those efforts. Ahead of the 12 February vote, the EC has launched a project titled Ballot with UNDP support. EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed later told reporters that the funds will be used to enhance the commission's capacity.