Election schedule to be announced in early December: EC Sanuallah

The schedule for the 13th national parliamentary election will be announced in the first half of December, Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said today (7 August).

He made the announcement today (7 August) while responding to questions from journalists at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon.

Regarding a letter from the chief adviser to the Election Commission, Sanuallah said, "The summary of the chief adviser's statement is that we have been asked to make preparations to hold the election before Ramadan, which begins in February."

He added, "The CEC has already stated that the election schedule will be announced two months in advance. So, you [journalist] can expect the schedule to be released in the first half of December."

"The election will be held before Ramadan. If Ramadan begins on 18 February, then a few days must be allowed before that for the new government to take over, including the swearing-in. So the election will be held before that," the commissioner said.

Speaking about today's commission meeting, Sanuallah said that the commission focused on three main agendas.

"Firstly, we finalised the code of conduct for candidates and political parties. We had earlier sought opinions on a draft version that was published online. Based on the feedback received, the code was finalised today," he said.

"Then, we discussed out-of-country voting, including both postal voting for overseas voters and in-country postal voting. That is, we discussed voting through postal ballots by those eligible under the system."

"Lastly, we began discussions on proposed amendments to the Representation of the People Order (RPO). As the meeting was adjourned for today, the remaining discussions on the RPO will be finalised in a session next week."

Expatriates to vote in upcoming national election via postal ballot

The EC is making arrangements to allow expatriate Bangladeshis to vote in the upcoming national election through postal ballots. To save time, the EC will send ballots bearing only the election symbol of candidates, without their names. Voters can view candidate names online.

When asked about the matter Sanuallah said, "The registration process for expatriate voters will begin well in advance and will remain open for three weeks. Completed ballots must be returned to Dhaka. In addition to expatriates, government employees, election officials, and individuals in legal custody will also be eligible to vote by postal ballot."

He noted that if a candidate's nomination is cancelled by court at the last moment, postal ballots already cast in that constituency may become invalid. "The EC is currently examining legal options to address this issue. The estimated cost of each postal vote is between Tk600 and Tk700."

The commissioner also announced that 1.8 to 2 million new voters are expected to be added to the rolls. "This follows recent amendments to the RPO, approved by the Advisory Council. Citizens turning 18 by 31 October will be eligible to vote in the upcoming election."

He also mentioned, "To combat misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech fuelled by artificial intelligence, the EC has included specific provisions in the code of conduct. Although primarily applicable to political parties and candidates, a special committee has been formed to monitor and address violations by other actors."

Sanuallah further said that no candidate or their agents will be allowed to use drones or quadcopters during the election. "However, the EC may consider using drones for its own monitoring purposes if needed."

Regarding election security, he said, "The commission is considering installing CCTV cameras at polling centres, though the plan is not yet final. With approximately 45,000 polling stations, setting up cameras nationwide would be costly and complex.

"A committee is currently exploring alternatives, including using existing surveillance infrastructure or renting equipment from other institutions."