EC invites 12 political parties on first day of dialogue ahead of general election

The commission plans to wrap up discussions with all registered parties by November

The Election Commission has invited 12 political parties to join discussions on the first day of its planned dialogue series beginning Thursday, ahead of the February elections.

On Tuesday, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the discussions will continue throughout the month in several phases.

The commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, is holding these dialogues as part of its ongoing engagement with stakeholders to ensure “a free, fair, neutral, and acceptable election”.

After receiving approval from the commission, letters were sent to the chiefs of the invited parties on Tuesday evening through special couriers.

Officials from the EC Secretariat have also been contacting party representatives directly.

The meetings will be held at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka’s Agargaon. Each party has been asked to send up to three representatives to attend the discussion.

According to Md Asadul Haque, public relations assistant director of the EC Secretariat, the dialogues have been scheduled in two sessions.

Morning session (10am–12pm):

• Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)

• Bangladesh Congress

• Bangladesh Muslim League

• National People’s Party (NPP)

• Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan

• Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Bangladesh

Afternoon session (2pm–4pm):

• Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB)

• Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD)

• Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BaSaD)

• Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh (RWPB)

• Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF)

• Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM)

The general election is expected to take place in the first half of February, while the schedule is likely to be announced in early December, according to the EC.