Countdown to February: What's in EC's election roadmap?
Among the priorities are the delimitation of constituencies, finalisation of the voter list, registration of political parties, and the approval of domestic election observer organisations – all crucial steps to ensure a credible and transparent process
Highlights
- The final voter list will be completed by 30 Nov
- Electoral law reforms are expected to be finalised by 30 Sept
- Constituency boundaries will be finalised and published by 15 Sept
- The EC will begin talks with political parties in late Sept
- Postal votes for expatriates will be sent out in Nov
- Meetings with law enforcement on security are scheduled for mid-Nov
- The roadmap hints that election schedule to be announced in 1st half of Dec
As Bangladesh gears up for its 13th National Parliamentary Election, the Election Commission (EC) has unveiled a comprehensive roadmap, highlighting 24 key tasks that will shape the journey to the polls.
Revealed today (28 August) by EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, the plans set the stage for the election.
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Among the priorities are the delimitation of constituencies, finalisation of the voter list, registration of political parties, and the approval of domestic election observer organisations – all crucial steps to ensure a credible and transparent process.
With the next parliamentary elections slated for the first half of February 2026, the roadmap hints that the official election schedule will be announced in the second or third week of December, marking the countdown to what promises to be a decisive moment in Bangladesh's democratic journey.
According to the roadmap timeline, the final voter list is expected to be completed by 31 August, and a draft list will be finalised by 30 October. The final voter list will be published on 30 November.
Regarding electoral laws and regulations, proposals for amending the Representation of the People Order (RPO) and other laws and rules will be finalised by 31 August.
In addition, the process of amending the Delimitation of Constituencies Act, the Voter List Act, finalising the polling centre policy and management for parliamentary elections, finalising the policy for domestic and foreign observers and journalists, the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act 2025, the Election Officers (Special Provisions) Act 1991, and the Election Commission Secretariat Act 2009 is currently underway at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
The commission expects to complete this process by 30 September.
Domestic election observer organisations will be registered and issued final certificates by 15 November. Manuals, guidelines, posters, and identification cards related to the election will also be printed by that date.
The EC also plans to finalise the registration of new political parties and issue the official gazette notification by September.
The delimitation of all 300 constituencies will be finalised by 15 September, with the gazette to be published in the same month and the GIS map to be prepared and released by 30 September.
Besides, dialogues with political parties and stakeholders will begin in the last week of September and continue for around six weeks. Further meetings will be held after the schedule is declared.
Postal voting arrangements, which include project approval, finalisation of software, development of mobile applications, and awareness campaigns, are scheduled for completion in October.
The commission plans to send ballot papers for expatriates in November, which is scheduled to be completed by 5 January 2026. While ballot papers for prisoners will be dispatched two weeks before election day.
Transparent ballot boxes and other election materials will be made fully ready for use by 30 November.
The Election Commission has also planned to install digital monitors and related equipment at its headquarters by December to display unofficial results on election night.
By 15 November, the commission will finalise budget proposals and detailed allocations for the election.
The roadmap further includes a plan to hold a series of meetings with law enforcement agency representatives from 16-20 November to discuss specific security sector issues and to formulate the budget proposal in phases.
The training for the Electoral Inquiry Committee is scheduled to be completed by 25 December. The committee's judicial magistrates will begin their work on enforcing laws and regulations immediately after the schedule is announced.
