Election Commission eyes 8-12 Feb for polls, with schedule likely on 11 Dec

The national election and the planned referendum are likely to be held any day between 8 and 12 February next year, with the Election Commission (EC) preparing to announce the full schedule on 11 December.

Sources within the EC said 8, 11 and 12 February are being considered as possible polling dates. The timeline will be finalised after a commission meeting on Sunday and a subsequent consultation with President Mohammed Shahabuddin on 10 December.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin is expected to deliver an address to the nation on 11 December to formally unveil the schedule for the 13th parliamentary election and the referendum, EC officials said.

An election commissioner confirmed the development on Thursday, saying the commission will finalise its proposal at Sunday's meeting. "We will meet the honourable president on 10 December. The schedule may be announced within a day or two after that," he told The Business Standard. 

He further noted that meeting the president prior to announcing the election schedule is a long-standing practice.

When contacted about the EC's preparatory work, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahim Masud said amendments to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) have already been approved and that the EC is ready to proceed. 

"All necessary preparations for the polls are now in place. The schedule will be announced after the meeting with the president," he said.

Although the commission had earlier suggested the schedule would be issued 60 days before voting, Masud clarified that the timeline is flexible. "It does not have to be exactly 60 days. It can be 58 or 62 days. We have kept it roughly around 60," he said.

Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar also reiterated earlier in the week that the schedule would be declared in the second week of December and that the national vote would take place in the second week of February.

Meanwhile, sources at the Chief Adviser's Office had earlier said given the current situation in the country, 8 February appears to be the most likely date for the polls.

Regarding post-election procedures, an CAO official said the publication of the official gazette of results may take up to two days. Once the gazette is published, the political party or alliance winning the majority of parliamentary seats will be invited to form the then government.