Next general election not before December last week: CEC

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Kazi Habibul Awal, has said the upcoming general election in the country will not be held before the last week of December.

According to the Election Commission roadmap, the election is scheduled for either the last week of December or the first week of January, the CEC told reporters at the EC Secretariat in the capital on Sunday (30 July). 

However, he noted that the election schedule for the 12th parliament election will not be disclosed before October.

Dismissing all speculations of early elections, the CEC said, "The election date has nothing to do with the schedule announcement. We can declare the schedule either three or four months prior to the polls. While there are laws dictating when elections should be held, there is no specific requirement for when the schedule should be announced."

Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at a public rally in Cox's Bazar, declared that the upcoming national polls will be held in the first week of January 2024. 

Meanwhile, as the parliamentary elections draw near, the country's political and electoral arena is witnessing an increase in the presence of foreign observers.

After the European Union and SAARC countries, four observers from the United States, China, Japan and Ireland held a meeting with the Election Commission on Sunday (30 July). 

The delegation, invited by the Election Monitoring Forum (EMF), includes US political analyst Terry L Isley, European Union political affairs journalist Nick Paul from Ireland, social activist Yusuki Sugu from Japan, and Chinese political analyst Andy Lin.

During the one-hour meeting at the EC Secretariat, various topics were discussed, including the conduct of the government during the upcoming elections.

Subsequently, the delegation addressed the journalists, stating their purpose of understanding how fair elections can be conducted within the constitutional framework.

US observer Terry L Isley, who participated in the meeting, said, "Caretaker government in Bangladesh is unconstitutional and cannot be altered by the Election Commission, even if it desires to do so.

"We do not want to discuss anything unconstitutional. We have said that the United States wants to see a fair election in Bangladesh, a sentiment which the Commission assured."

Regarding Isley's statements during the meeting, he clarified that his opinions were personal and did not represent the official stance of the US government. Nonetheless, his experiences and observations will be reported back to the US government.

The Election Monitoring Forum, at the time, asserted that fair elections can indeed be held here in accordance with the existing laws.

Following the meeting, the Election Commission secretary highlighted the protocol for sending election observers to the country.

He explained that any country intending to send observers must obtain prior permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

The meeting was attended by five Election Commissioners, including the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).