EC's UP election dates are tentative, final schedule after 17 Sept: Salahuddin
The EC's announcement of the proposed election dates had been presented somewhat differently in the media, he says.
The dates announced by the Election Commission (EC) for the upcoming Union Parishad (UP) elections are only a "tentative plan" and the final schedule will be decided after an inter-ministerial meeting on 17 September, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said today (15 September).
"The time announced by the commission is a tentative plan. After the inter-ministerial meeting on 17 September, the EC will determine the final schedule based on the opinions of the concerned ministries and agencies," he told journalists after a coordination meeting at the Secretariat.
The meeting, chaired by the home minister, was held at the conference room of the Ministry of Home Affairs to coordinate development activities in Dhaka city and surrounding areas.
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The minister further said the EC's announcement of the proposed election dates had been presented somewhat differently in the media. "The commission has not announced any final decision to hold elections on specific dates. It is only a tentative schedule."
"The opinions of the concerned ministries and their preparations will be reviewed at the meeting. Based on those opinions, the commission will finalise its schedule," he added. "The UP elections will be held under the relevant local government laws."
The comments came after State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam earlier today said neither the government nor his ministry had been informed about the proposed election dates.
Speaking to journalists, he said the government had learned about the dates through newspapers, social media and television reports.
"However, there has been no discussion between the Election Commission and the local government ministry or the government on this matter. The government knows nothing about it," he said.
Meanwhile, EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed also described the proposed schedule as "purely preliminary".
"The local government elections will be held. That is certain. But when they will be held, what method will be used and at which levels they will take place are still under discussion," he told journalists.
He said the commission would finalise the schedule after discussions with the concerned ministry and other stakeholders on 17 September.
The commission yesterday announced a tentative seven-phase plan for elections to 4,580 Union Parishads, proposing voting on 12 November, 13 December, 30 December, 17 January, 4 February, 22 April and 27 May.
However, none of the dates has been finalised yet.
