Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission (EC) has announced the much anticipated roadmap of the 13the parliamentary election.
The EC on Thursday announced the roadmap prioritizing 24 important tasks, including the finalization of parliamentary constituency boundaries, finalization of the voter list, registration of political parties, and registration of domestic election observer organizations.
Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Akhtar Ahmed announced the roadmap before the media at the EC headquarters in Agargaon in the capital.
The EC stated that the 24 tasks will be implemented in 207 steps, each with a specific timeline mentioned in the roadmap. However, the commission has not yet finalized any date for polling or for the official election schedule (timetable).
Several EC officials said that the roadmap includes 24 planned activities, such as initiating dialogues with political parties and stakeholders in the last week of September.
Other major issues include: preparation of the voter list, reforms of election laws and rules, political party registration, finalization of constituency boundary demarcations, guidelines for election observers and journalists, permission for foreign observers and journalists, amendments and consolidation of election-related rules and manuals, printing of posters and ID cards, procurement of election materials, ensuring the usability of transparent ballot boxes and election supplies, preparation and allocation of the election budget, establishment of polling stations, arrangements for manpower and administration, law and order measures, inter-ministerial coordination, ICT support, political campaign regulations, motivational and awareness activities, strengthening telecommunications, result announcement, publicity and dissemination (via electronic means), installation of digital monitors and devices, dissemination of unofficial preliminary results, postal voting,
and miscellaneous activities.
Dialogue with stakeholders:
The EC will hold dialogues with eight categories of stakeholders related to the election, including political parties, civil society, and journalists.
The dialogue will begin in the last week of September and will continue for one and a half months, concluding in the first week of November.
Voter list update:
The second draft supplementary voter list has already been published and will be finalized on August 31. For the 13th national election, the final voter list will be published on November 30. Before that, the draft will be released on November 1.
Election laws and regulations:
Proposals for amendment and formulation of all related laws will be completed by August 31. These include amendments to the Constituency Delimitation Act, the Voter List Act, finalization of polling station guidelines, finalization of domestic and foreign observer and journalist guidelines, Election Conduct (Amendment) 2025 including symbols, the Election Officer (Special Provisions) Act 1991, and the Election Commission Secretariat Act 2009. These are under process at the Ministry of Law and expected to be finalized by September 30.
Political party registration:
This will be finalized by September 30. Before that, the EC has instructed that field-level verification reports for provisionally shortlisted parties must be submitted by August 31.
Constituency delimitation:
Revised parliamentary constituency boundaries will be finalized and gazetted by September 15. By September 30, the GIS maps will be prepared and published.
Other issues:
According to the roadmap, registration of election observers will be finalized by October 22, and registration certificates will be issued by November 15. All activities related to granting permission for foreign observers and journalists will be completed by November 15.
Meanwhile, by November 15, the EC will hold meetings with the Ministry of Information, Ministry of ICT, T&T, BTRC, and mobile operators to ensure election-related information dissemination. By October 31, letters will be sent to the Cabinet Division and the Ministry of Home Affairs requesting the participation of field administration and police officials in training and briefing sessions.
Election manuals, guidelines, posters, etc., will be printed by September 15. Election training will begin on August 29 and will be completed 4-5 days before polling. All election-related materials will be procured and distributed by December 31.
Usable transparent ballot boxes will be finalized by November 30. The election budget will be finalized by November 15. Meetings for allocation of funds for law enforcement will be held between November 16 and November 20.
All activities related to election manpower and administrative arrangements will be completed by November 30. Preparation of the panel of polling officers will be completed by September 30.
The first meeting on law and order will be held on September 25.The commission aims to complete all ICT-related tasks by October 31. Awareness campaigns will be concluded by November 30.
Measures will be taken to keep telecommunications uninterrupted, finalize result dissemination systems, private result dissemination arrangements, and complete all activities related to postal voting for expatriates by January 2026.
Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus has announced that the 13th national election will be held in the first half of February next year, before Ramadan. A related letter has also been sent to the EC. Chief Election Commissioner A. M. M. Nasir Uddin said that the election schedule (timetable) will be announced about two months before polling. After discussions in the EC meeting, it was stated that the election schedule will be announced in the first half of December.
