EC dismisses postponement of rumours
Staff Reporter:
The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday categorically rejected rumours circulating on social media that the upcoming referendum and the 13th parliamentary poll have been postponed, calling the claims false and misleading.
The commission urged citizens not to be misled by disinformation, said EC’s Public Relations Director Md Ruhul Amin Mallik in a press release.
The EC reaffirmed that voting will be held as scheduled on February 12 in 299 parliamentary constituencies across the country, excluding Sherpur-3, alongside the national referendum.
As part of preparations to ensure a peaceful and orderly election, the EC has formed a Central Law and Order Coordination Cell at its headquarters.
Operating from Room 417 of the Election Commission building, the cell will function round the clock to monitor the field-level law and order situation, coordinate with relevant agencies, receive complaints, and respond to emergencies.
Five dedicated telephone numbers have been activated to facilitate communication during the election period. The telephone numbers are 02-55007470, 02-55007471, 02-55007472, 02-55007474 and 02-55007506.
The EC also announced that all forms of election campaigning by candidates and political parties will end at 7:30 am on Tuesday, in line with electoral rules that prohibit campaigning 48 hours before polling day.
Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed said voting will take place on February 12 from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm using transparent ballot boxes and paper ballots.
To enforce electoral laws, 1,050 executive magistrates will be deployed nationwide from February 8 to 14, primarily to conduct mobile courts.
Judicial magistrates will also remain in the field, while the Electoral Enquiry and Adjudication Committee is already active.
On election observation, the EC has issued fresh instructions to returning officers regarding the issuance of observer cards, including for the People’s Association for Social Advancement (PASA).
Although the commission had earlier withdrawn approval for more than 10,000 PASA observers amid criticism, its public relations wing has now directed returning officers to issue observer cards in line with the Election Observation Policy 2025 and existing commission guidelines.
Overall, the EC has approved a total of 55,454 observers – 7,997 centrally and 47,457 at the constituency level – from 81 registered observer organisations.
Meanwhile, the commission reminded eligible voters using postal ballots that Tuesday is the final day to cast their votes.
According to the EC, expatriate Bangladeshis who registered through the ‘Postal Vote BD’ app must submit their ballots by 11:59 pm (Bangladesh time) on Tuesday, failing which the ballots will be considered invalid.
Election officials said more than 503,000 expatriate Bangladeshis have voted so far, with 428,828 postal ballots already received in the country.
Postal voting is also available for election duty officials, government employees working outside their home areas, and voters in legal custody.
In a separate development, Canada has pledged two million dollars in technical assistance to the Election Commission ahead of the February 12 vote.
The funding agreement was signed on Sunday in the presence of Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Ajit Singh and UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stefan Liller.
Singh described the upcoming election as one of the world’s largest and said Canada expects a credible, inclusive, and transparent process.
The funds will be used to strengthen the EC’s institutional capacity under a UNDP-supported project.