No proposal yet on holding referendum: EC

Election Commission (EC) Secretary Akhtar Ahmed has said that the commission has not yet received any proposal or directive from the government regarding the possibility of holding a referendum amid preparations for the upcoming national elections.

"So far, no issue regarding whether a referendum will be held, when it might be held, or even if it will happen at all has been placed before the Election Commission. Since nothing has been presented, I have no scope to comment on it," the EC secretary told reporters at the EC headquarters in Agargaon today (14 October).

When asked about political parties' proposals concerning the referendum and the proportional representation (PR) system, he said he had no further comment on the matter.

"Once the commission makes a final decision, it will be announced. The same applies to the referendum — until the government communicates something to the EC, there is nothing for us to act on," he added.

The secretary explained that the EC's role is mainly to conduct elections, while decisions on issues such as referendums come from other relevant authorities.

"Whether the referendum will be held alongside the parliamentary election or separately, depends entirely on the government's decision. Before making such a decision, the government will certainly discuss it with the commission," he said.

Progress in expatriate voter registration

The EC secretary also shared updates on the ongoing expatriate voter registration process. He said that National ID (NID) services have so far been launched in 11 countries, with preparations underway to introduce the service in eight more countries before the next election.

A mobile app for expatriate voter registration has been developed and is expected to be launched by late October or early November.

"Registration activities are already underway in New York and Washington, and will soon begin in Miami and Los Angeles," Akhtar said.

The EC is also preparing to send technical teams to Oman, South Africa, the Maldives, and Jordan, while approval has been received through the foreign ministry to operate in Bahrain, Singapore, France, and Spain.

Ahead of the national election, the EC has initially shortlisted 73 local observer organisations. However, the secretary hinted that the number may decrease following media scrutiny of some of the organisations.

"We have completed several preparatory stages, while some are still ongoing. The public notification process has helped us gather crucial information about observer groups, allowing us to identify genuine organisations capable of conducting impartial observation," he said.