New ordinance allows EC to release voter roll any time before election schedule

It clears the way for the commission to publish the draft voter list ahead of the 13th parliamentary election

The government has amended the law to empower the Election Commission (EC) to publish and revise the voter list at any time of the year before the election schedule is announced.

The provision was introduced under the "Voter List (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025" issued by the law ministry on Thursday.

Prior to the amendment, the law required the draft voter roll to be published on Jan 2 each year, followed by the final list on Mar 2.

Ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, the AMM Nasir Uddin-led commission began updating the voter roll on Jan 20 through door-to-door visits. By June, data of an additional 4.45 million eligible voters were registered.

However, complications arose over the publication of the updated list as the existing law required the commission to wait until Mar 2, 2026.

Meanwhile, the EC is preparing for a February election in line with the timeline announced by the government. To facilitate this, the government has moved to amend the law to allow the EC to publish the voter list at any time of the year.

On Jul 17, the Advisory Council approved the draft amendment to the Voter List Act, 2009, in the form of an ordinance. The amendment added a provision allowing for the publication of the voter list before the election schedule is announced.