EC plans local govt elections from October

The Election Commission (EC) is preparing to hold local government elections in phases from October and will soon place a proposal before the government for its approval, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said on Monday.

Union parishad and municipality elections likely to be held first, while the commission prepares conduct rules and boundary delimitation.

Speaking at a programme organized by the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED) at the EC Secretariat, Election Commissioner Masud said the commission plans to begin the local polls with union parishad and municipality elections, as city corporations are currently being run by government-appointed administrators.

He said, We are preparing to hold local government elections in phases from October. We will discuss the matter with the government and take the necessary decision.

Meanwhile, In an exclusive interview with BSS Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said the commission has not yet taken any formal decision regarding which tier of local government elections will be held first. However, considering practical and administrative realities, Union Parishad and municipality elections are the most likely to be held in the first phase.

He said the formation of Upazila Parishads depends on the completion of Union Parishad and municipality elections. Therefore, the commission is planning to conduct those two elections first, followed by Upazila Parishad polls.

The election commissioner said several factors are taken into account while fixing the election schedule, including public examinations, religious festivals and observances, the monsoon season, and geographical and communication conditions in different parts of the country.

At the event, Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah stated that the commission is working to organise local government elections in a free, fair, and acceptable manner, just like the national election.

He also informed that the EC will soon send a letter to the government regarding the finalisation of the electoral code of conduct for local government polls and the redrawing of constituencies.

Sanuallah also described conducting credible elections as one of the commission’s biggest challenges and sought cooperation from the media in ensuring a transparent electoral process.

The programme was attended by the other election commissioners, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, senior officials of the commission, and RFED leaders.