Election Process: Debates over schedule and legality widens

Al Mamun Harun Ur Rashid :

As the Interim Government and the Election Commission push ahead with plans to hold the 13th national election in February 2026, debates over the timing and the legality of key preparations have intensified on several fronts.

The Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar recently indicated that it expects to announce the election schedule within 11 December.

“I want to assure you that the election schedule will be announced by the second week of this month. The election will be held within two months of the schedule’s announcement. We expect that the election is likely to take place in the second week of February, before Ramadan,” he said on Tuesday.

Even, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said on November 29 that preparations are “almost complete,” and the commission is moving toward finalising the timetable soon.

But pressure is building from multiple directions regarding the holding of election. Bangladesh Congress on Wednesday filed a writ petition with the High Court, seeking a stay on the entire election process.

The party’s Secretary General, Advocate Md Earul Islam, submitted the petition arguing that as per the Constitution of Bangladesh the Election Commission would conduct the election and the Executive would give all assistances to the Commission.

“But the Deputy Commissioners and Upazila Nirbahi Officers are appointed as Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers respectively instead of District Election Officers and Upazila Election Officers by which the Election Commission depends on the Executive for conducting the election which is a clear violation of Constitution,” the Writ read.

He said the constitution clearly envisions district and upazila election officers- career officials of the EC – as the ones who should oversee electoral administration.

Relying on executive officers instead places the process under government influence, he claimed.
The petition asks the High Court to declare these appointments illegal and to halt further steps toward the February election.

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other relevant authorities have been made respondents of the Writ. A hearing may take place next week.
At the same time, political actors outside the courtroom are urging caution on when the election schedule should be declared.

After a meeting with the CEC at the EC office in Agargaon on Wednesday afternoon, leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) said they had advised the commission to consider the current political climate before announcing the schedule.

NCP convener Nahid Islam and chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary told reporters that the illness of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is critically ill and admitted in a city hospital, has created a tense and unsettled political situation.

They said the election timetable should be announced at a moment when the political environment is stable enough to allow all parties to begin campaigning without disruption.

When asked whether the NCP wants to postpone the election schedule, Nasiruddin Patwari replied, “No. Why would we want to delay the schedule? We are saying that the issues should be resolved before the schedule is announced.”

In response to this question, the party’s convener, Nahid Islam, said, “The schedule should be announced at a time when there is political stability, and each party should have an environment to begin its electoral journey, both internally within their parties and in the broader political atmosphere. If the schedule is announced at such a time, it will be beneficial for both the Election Commission and all political parties.”

Nahid Islam further stated that a call had been made to consider the political environment when announcing the schedule. He mentioned that the schedule could be given any time, keeping that in mind.

When asked whether the NCP believes the political environment is stable enough for the Election Commission to announce the schedule next week, Nasiruddin Patwari responded, saying that sending ballots to expatriate voters and bringing them back is a time-consuming process, which is why the Commission is eager to announce the schedule quickly.

However, the NCP has called for the political crisis to be taken into consideration. He said, “All political parties are in agreement on this matter. There is no crisis regarding it. We hope, God willing, that the country will move towards holding a fair election in February.”

When asked whether Khaleda Zia’s illness would affect the election schedule, Nasiruddin Patwari replied, “No, it will not have an impact. We believe that she (Khaleda) has fought for a long time in Bangladesh. In this place of democracy, the government is also showing respect. We are also showing respect. There is a lot of emotion and sentiment for Begum Zia.

This is not BNP-centric.”
Between the court petition, the EC’s stated timeline, and appeals from political parties for a steadier environment, the coming weeks will determine whether the 13th national election schedule is announced as expected-or whether the debate widens further.