Upcoming election will be challenging, sudden attacks may come: CA
CA's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the Election Commission may announce the date for the upcoming national election by the first week of December.
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday warned that the upcoming national election would face challenges, as many forces from home and abroad might attempt to thwart the polls.
"Many forces from inside and outside the country will work to spoil the election. Many powerful forces, not minor ones, will attempt to thwart it. Sudden attacks may come. This election will be challenging. No matter how many obstacles arise, we must overcome them," Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam quoted him as saying at a high-level meeting.
The high-level meeting on election preparations, presided over by the chief adviser, was held at the State Guest House Jamuna in the capital.
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Shafiqul Alam briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy in the afternoon following the meeting.
During the meeting, four key issues were discussed — election-time posting of field-level officials, tackling misinformation and disinformation on social media, training of election officials, and ensuring security.
The chief adviser warned that social media propaganda would intensify ahead of the election. "Various types of propaganda will be carried out in a planned manner from inside and outside the country to disrupt the polls," he was quoted as saying.
Yunus said AI-generated images and videos would also circulate online and on social media platforms, stressing that immediate action must be taken to prevent the spread of such content.
He emphasised the need to raise public awareness to ensure that the upcoming election is fair and festive. People need to understand electoral guidelines, polling station procedures, how to cast their votes, and what to do in the event of any disturbance, he said.
In this context, Yunus suggested that the Election Commission and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs produce more TVCs, documentaries, and short videos explaining these processes and disseminate them rapidly on YouTube and social media so that people can prepare themselves in advance.
Shafiqul also said the Election Commission may announce the date for the upcoming national election by the first week of December.
The chief adviser has instructed the authorities to complete the primary tasks, including the training of Ansar members, procurement of body-worn cameras, and other logistical arrangements, by 15 November, Shafiqul added.
