Election schedule still undecided
Abu Jakir :
With Bangladesh’s next parliamentary election expected in February, uncertainty continues to cloud the political landscape as the Election Commission (EC) has yet to fix a date for announcing the official election schedule.
The hesitation has fuelled public speculation over whether the national vote will proceed on time.
Speaking at a workshop with journalists on Saturday at the Election Training Institute in Dhaka, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed acknowledged that the commission “has not yet determined the date for announcing the election timetable.”
Although preparations for the 13th parliamentary election are ongoing “at full scale,” he said, the final decision is still pending.
An interim government earlier declared that the election would be held in February, and the EC had initially planned to unveil the schedule in early December.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin recently indicated that the announcement might come in the second week of December.
EC officials now say a crucial meeting between the Commission and the President will take place at Bangabhaban at 12pm on December 10.
The EC is expected to make a final decision on the schedule after that meeting.
This year’s parliamentary polls are also set to coincide with a national referendum, adding further administrative pressure on the commission.
On Saturday morning, the EC held a national-level preparatory meeting at its Agargaon headquarters, where senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed reiterated that the commission is “fully prepared to conduct the election” and urged the public and media to refrain from spreading misinformation.
Newly formed NCP calls for delay until stability returns
Amid the uncertainty, the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP), a newly formed political platform, has publicly called for the election schedule to be announced only after “political stability is restored.”
On December 3, a delegation led by the party’s convener, Nahid Islam, met the Chief Election Commissioner in Agargaon and submitted their demand.
The group argued that without stability and consensus, announcing the schedule could further inflame tensions rather than facilitate a credible vote.
Jamaat-led alliance escalates pressure with five-point demand Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami–led eight-party alliance has intensified its campaign for sweeping electoral reforms, including the adoption of a proportional representation (PR) system for both houses of parliament.
Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman warned of a resurgence of mass mobilisation if necessary, declaring, “Another 5 August may occur if needed”—a reference to the nationwide upheaval earlier this year.
“We do not want the victory of eight parties; we want the victory of 180 million people,” he said in a recent address.
Rahman vowed that the movement’s success would represent a victory “guided by the Quran,” adding that the call for Islamic resurgence would “rise from Chattogram” and that a future Bangladesh would be “a Bangladesh of the Quran.”
EC appeals for factual reporting
During Saturday’s workshop—organised by the UNDP and the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED)—Akhtar Ahmed briefed journalists on the legal framework governing parliamentary polls, including the Representation of the People Order (RPO), the Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates, and the Election Officer (Special Provisions) Act of 1991.
In a separate session earlier in the day, Election Commissioner Abdul Rahim Masud discussed constitutional provisions, the EC’s mandate, mechanisms for preventing electoral offences, and the role of courts in resolving election-related disputes.
Even as logistics and training proceed in full swing, the central question—when the schedule will be announced—remains unresolved.
With political tensions high and rival camps pressing conflicting demands, the upcoming December 10 meeting at Bangabhaban now looms as a decisive moment for Bangladesh’s election roadmap.