US envoy to Bangladesh Jacobson meets CEC

A meeting is under way at the chief election commissioner’s office in the capital’s Agargaon

US Charge d’Affaires in Bangladesh Tracey Ann Jacobson has met with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin.

The meeting began at the Election Commission office in Dhaka’s Agargaon at 2:15pm on Monday.

Security at the commission was tightened ahead of her arrival.

Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed greeted Jacobson on the ground floor of the building and escorted her, along with a team of officials, to the CEC’s office.

Also present at the meeting were James Stewart, political officer at the US Embassy, and Feroz Ahmed, the embassy’s political expert.

The discussions are expected to focus on preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The meeting had initially been scheduled for Thursday but was postponed because of student demonstrations in Agargaon.

On Aug 28, the Election Commission announced a roadmap for the 13th parliamentary elections, outlining two dozen work plans, including a dialogue with political parties and other stakeholders in the last week of September.

The parliamentary elections are set to take place in the first half of February, before Ramadan.

The Election Commission plans to announce the schedule about two months ahead of polling day.