The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), AMM Nasir Uddin,in his address to the nation on Thursday evening, announced the schedule for the 13th parliamentary elections.
The referendum will also be held along with the national elections on the same day.
The nation officially entered the electoral journey with the announcement of the polls schedule.
This election is very important in the context of the sacrifices of the students and the people in the July and August last year.
It has created a great opportunity to break the yoke of authoritarian rule and lead the country to a democratic path.
The biggest responsibility and challenge of the interim government and the Election Commission will be to transfer power to the people’s representatives through free, fair, and acceptable elections.
The CEC reminded the political parties and law enforcement agencies of the duties to ensure a free, fair and participatory election.
He also urged the candidates to abide by the code of conduct. According to the election roadmap, the last date for filing nominations is December 29.
After the withdrawal of nominations, selection, and settlement of appeals, the final list of candidates will be published and symbols will be allotted on January 21. Candidates will be able to campaign from January 22 to February 10.
The Election Commission has finalized the voter list before the announcement of the schedule.
Besides, the redistribution of parliamentary seats, legislative reforms, dialogue with stakeholders, and registration of new political parties have also been completed.
Election-related procurement and registration of observation teams have also been completed.
Currently, work is underway to train election officials and register expatriates to vote by postal ballot.
There have also been major reshuffles in the administration and police.
However, our electoral history shows that the main challenge appears only after the schedule is announced.
Maintaining law and order is more challenging than ever before. Controlling misinformation on social media is another major challenge.
Around 900,000 members of all forces, including the armed forces, will be deployed. Now the question is how active a role can they play in maintaining law and order?
The February elections are very important in terms of economy, investment, national security, and internal security.
The interim government, for example, is responsible for ensuring a fair environment for the national elections.
The Election Commission, as well as political parties, is also responsible for holding fair and credible polls.
We believe that the armed forces also have a major responsibility in this regard.
