Election schedule to be announced in second week of December, says CEC Nasir

He reiterates the EC's aim of delivering a "transparent and orderly" vote

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has revealed that the schedule for the upcoming 13th parliamentary election and referendum will be announced in the second week of December.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday after inspecting a mock voting exercise at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government Girls' High School in Dhaka, he said the Election Commission (EC) was preparing to deliver a “transparent and orderly” vote.

The mock polling, conducted across four booths between 8am and 12pm, is part of a wider effort to test election-day logistics, including voter movement, staffing, booth management and crowd control.

“We want to deliver an election like today’s mock voting -- transparent and smooth. Law and order will continue to improve, and the environment will be favourable for the polls.” the CEC said.

He added that administrative reshuffles would be considered, if necessary, after the schedule was announced.

Explaining the purpose of the mock drill, the CEC said: “In order to deliver the ideal, participatory, and acceptable election that we promised, we wanted to practically demonstrate the type of environment needed in a polling centre: what the surroundings should be like, what types of voters come in, how polling officers sit, how presiding officers operate, and what role journalists play. We wanted to see all of this play out as a practical demonstration.”

“Many new voters, especially those who became voters in the last 15 years—have never seen the voting process in practice. This gives them experience and gives us a real-time assessment of the situation,” he added.

Nasir Uddin noted that the EC now has “an added responsibility” of conducting a referendum alongside the parliamentary polls.

“If both are to be held on the same day, we need to manage time accordingly,” he said.

The EC will use Saturday’s assessment to determine whether more than 42,500 existing polling centres are adequate, or whether additional booths, staff or equipment are required, according to Nasir Uddin.

“We don’t want to proceed on assumptions. We will proceed on reality and practical experience -- what we see directly today will guide our next steps,” he said.