Staff Reporter :
Newly-appointed Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Tuesday said the Election Commission (EC) has undertaken necessary initiatives to hold the next national election within the timeframe set by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
As part of the preparations, the commission will first prepare an accurate voter list, the CEC told reporters at his office at the Nirbachon Bhaban at Agargaon in the capital.
He also mentioned that the EC was considering holding local government polls before the national parliamentary elections.
“We started working from the Day-1 for the national election. We are taking all the necessary preparations. We will be fully prepared to hold the election within the timeframe set by the Chief Adviser.”
Asked whether the EC would announce any election roadmap, he said, “The Chief Adviser has announced a time frame [yesterday]. We will proceed accordingly.
We are not considering announcing any roadmap publicly, but we will certainly have our own action plan for the work.”
The CEC’s comments came following Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus’s Victory Day address to the nation on Monday in which he told that the next general election could be held between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026 after accomplishing necessary reforms.
“Broadly speaking, the election date can be set between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026,” the Chief Adviser said.
The CEC further said, “We are starting with the voter list preparations. Having an accurate voter list is crucial for the election, and the Chief Adviser has also emphasised this.”
In two months, a fresh and final voter list will be available, he said adding, “After that, we will go door-to-door to collect information…The election will be conducted based on the corrected list of voters after necessary verification.”
On the same day, CA’s press secretary ShafiqulAlam has said that the next general election will be held by June 30, 2026.
Regarding local government polls, he said, “The Chief Adviser has indicated that the focus is on the national parliamentary election. He has not mentioned anything about local government elections.
“Our stakeholders, including political parties, have also been discussing the national election. They have spoken about transferring power from the interim government to an elected government. So, we are focusing on that and have no thoughts on other elections at this moment.”
Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus gave a clear election roadmap while delivering his speech to the nation on Victory Day, Shafiqul told reporters while responding to a question at a press briefing on Tuesday.
Shafiqul said the exact election date would depend on the reform process.
Earlier, while delivering his speech to the nation on Monday, Yunus said the election would likely to take place between late 2025 and early 2026.
The next day, when his press wing officials held a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy, a journalist asked them for clarification, prompting the response. After the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took office on August 8.
For some time, political parties have been asking for an election roadmap from the interim administration.
