National polls: EC receives 645 appeals over rejected nominations, hearings start Saturday
The hearings will be held at the Election Bhaban auditorium (Basement-2) in Agargaon, Dhaka, and will continue until 18 January.
The Election Commission has received 645 appeals challenging the rejection of nomination papers by returning officers for the 13th national parliamentary election, with hearings set to begin from Saturday (10 January).
The hearings will be held at the Election Bhaban auditorium (Basement-2) in Agargaon, Dhaka, and will continue until 18 January. At least 70 appeals are scheduled to be heard on the first day, said Mohammad Arifur Rahman, an official of the EC's legal wing.
The five-day window for filing appeals ended today (9 January). Most of the appeals seek reinstatement of candidacies, while about 15 applications have been filed demanding the cancellation of nomination papers of candidates initially declared valid.
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Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, along with four election commissioners, will hear and dispose of the appeals. EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed and officials from the commission's legal wing will also be present during the proceedings.
More than 2,500 nomination papers were submitted by independent and party-backed candidates to contest the election. After scrutiny conducted between 30 December and 4 January, returning officers rejected 723 candidacies, leaving 1,842 candidates valid so far.
Appeals against the returning officers' decisions were filed over five days, starting on Monday (5 January). A total of 42 appeals were filed on the first day, followed by 122 on Tuesday, 131 on Wednesday, 174 on Thursday, and 176 on the final day.
During a visit to the appeal submission booths yesterday, CEC AMM Nasir Uddin assured appellants of fair treatment, saying, "We believe in justice and we will ensure justice. After the hearings, decisions will be taken in accordance with the law and rules. The law is equal for all and must be followed by everyone."
According to the election schedule, the EC will complete the disposal of appeals between 10 and 18 January. The deadline for withdrawal of candidacies is 20 January, when the final list of contestants will be determined.
Returning officers will publish the final list of candidates and allocate electoral symbols on 21 January. Election campaigning will begin on 22 January and continue until 7:30am on 10 February.
Voting will be held on 12 February, the same day as the referendum.
