1 million polling officers to be trained

EC officials say each centre will have a minimum of eight polling officers

The Election Commission (EC) has announced a plan to train around 925,605 polling officers from September.

Core training and Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes usually start three to three and a half months before the election schedule is announced. Accordingly, the EC will begin the ToT programme in September.

Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said a small-scale ToT programme has begun with EC Secretariat staff. The full ToT training will follow in stages.

The EC has announced a tentative date for the election schedule in the first half of December for the February polls.

Once the Representation of the People Order (RPO) and the Election Conduct Rules are amended and sent to the law ministry, printing of manuals and guidelines will begin.

Before and after the schedule, election officials, including divisional commissioners, police commissioners, deputy inspector-generals (DIGs), deputy commissioners, police superintendents, returning officers, magistrates, administrative and law and order officers, executive and judicial magistrates and other officers will be trained.

About 13 million voters are expected to register for the general elections.

EC officials say each polling station requires one presiding officer, two assistant presiding officers, and two polling officers, totalling eight to 10 polling officers per centre.