EC begins mapping elections roadmap
Abu Jakir :
As Bangladesh looks toward a national election in April 2026, its interim authorities are preparing to shift gears into election mode. The Election Commission, long operating on the assumption that a December election was likely, is now working with a longer timeline following last week’s formal announcement from Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
In a nationally televised address delivered on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha, Professor Yunus told the country that the next general election would take place in the first half of April 2026, ending months of speculation over the political calendar. That timeline grants the Election Commission – already deep into routine preparatory work – nearly ten additional months to carry out what officials describe as “foundational but time-intensive” tasks.
Formal discussions over the election roadmap are expected to begin this coming Sunday, once the Eid holidays conclude. Officials say the commission will begin work on a detailed operational timeline, revising its internal schedule and planning to ensure the vote proceeds smoothly.
At the heart of the Commission’s current effort is the annual update of the national voter list, a process that carries added weight this year. Officials have already collected data on over six million new voters – those who will turn 18 by January 1, 2026, making them eligible to vote for the first time.
Simultaneously, the Commission has begun the process of removing over two million deceased individuals from the voter rolls, in what officials say is an essential exercise to bolster the credibility of the electoral process.
These dual efforts, Commission insiders say, are well underway and on track for completion by the March 2 deadline, when the updated list will be formally published.
But voter registration is only one part of a larger, multi-pronged operation.
The Commission must also redraw parliamentary constituency boundaries, register new political parties and domestic observer organizations, and procure election materials. Equally vital are the appointment and training of election officials – tasks which will be initiated once the formal election schedule is announced, likely in early 2026.
Reforms to electoral laws and codes of conduct are also in motion. These legal revisions are being guided, in part, by the newly formed National Consensus Commission, a consultative body expected to publish a reform charter in July. Commission officials say that final revisions to election laws could be completed by August if political stakeholders reach consensus.
Md. Anwarul Islam Sarkar, one of the election commissioners, acknowledged that the Commission had originally been preparing for a December election. “With the Chief Adviser’s announcement, we now have a clearer timeline and additional flexibility,” he said in a recent interview. “But the core of our routine work – voter registration, internal training, logistics – has never stopped.”
Election observers say the extended preparation window gives the Commission a better shot at delivering a credible election – a task made more pressing in a political climate still recovering from the turbulence of last year’s transition.
“This is a good opportunity for the Election Commission,” said Badiul Alam Majumdar, Secretary of the civic group Citizens for Good Governance (Shujan). “They now have time on their side, and that should help ensure that all necessary measures are in place for a free and fair vote.”
Still, with an election less than a year away, the pressure is mounting. For the Commission, every day counts – not just to deliver a credible vote, but to restore faith in a process many people see as the cornerstone of their democratic future.