Polls schedule for national election to be announced in first week of November, says EC secretary

The schedule for the 11th parliamentary election would be announced in early November, the Election Commission secretary said.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 18 Oct 2018, 09:46 AM
Updated : 18 Oct 2018, 12:54 PM

“The election schedule will be announced in the first week of November," Helal Uddin Ahmed told reporters after a meeting with a European Union delegation at the EC Secretariat on Thursday.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda was also present at the meeting.

“We expect a participatory and competitive election. It is important to have an acceptable election,” EU delegation head Ambassador Rensje Teerink told reporters after the meeting. 

An EU polls expert team will be sent ahead of the election and will stay two weeks to monitor the polls environment after the election schedule is announced, he said.

The EC secretary said they had discussions about the upcoming national election with the EU delegation. 

The EU delegation called for holding free, fair and impartial elections, he said.

“The Election Commission has assured them that a free, fair and impartial election will be organised for the nation by exercising all the powers of the Election Commission.”

The EU delegation sought information about Electronic Voter Machines (EVMs), election observers, manpower, law enforcement agencies, the voting process for expatriates and voter lists, according to Ahmed.

“The CEC told them that EVMs will be used in a small scale if the law is passed.”