Staff Reporter :
Election Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) Abdul Fazal Md Sanaullah informed foreign diplomats that the Election Commission is preparing for the upcoming general election, assuming it will be held in December.
“We have communicated to them that preparations must be made based on the earliest possible election date.
Our stance remains unchanged: we are preparing with December in mind, and there are no alternate plans,” he told reporters after a meeting at Nirbachan Bhaban on Tuesday.
The meeting, attended by the Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, and foreign diplomats from 18 countries, as well as representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), took place at Nirbachan Bhaban.
UNDP Resident Representative in Bangladesh, Stefan Liller, expressed support for the Election Commission’s efforts to ensure a free and fair election, adding that the UNDP hopes it will be the best election in Bangladesh’s history.
“We are supporting the Election Commission to conduct a free and fair election, with the hope that it will be the best election in Bangladesh’s history,” Liller stated during a media briefing after the meeting.
Regarding the election timeline, Liller noted that it is ultimately up to the interim government to decide. He also mentioned that the Election Commission may consider holding local government elections before the national elections if requested by the government.
“Based on past experience, conducting elections for the five tiers of local government takes about a year.
Not all local government institutions are ineffective-some still function,” he added. “Given these conditional factors, it is not possible to provide a specific timeline.”
Liller expressed confidence that the government would take the commission’s schedule into account.
In response, Sanaullah reassured that the commission will remain vigilant to ensure that no disruptions occur during the national elections.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir confirmed that Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus had assured them that preparations for the next general election are underway, with plans to hold it by December.
“The chief adviser and his team assured us that they are working to arrange the election very soon.
Prof Yunus also said they are working to hold the election by December this year,” Fakhrul stated after a meeting with the chief adviser at the State Guest House Jamuna.
