Dhaka North mayoral polls in last week of February: Official

The polls to elect a Dhaka North City mayor will be held in the last week of February, with the full schedule being announced in the second week of January, an official has said.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 17 Dec 2017, 10:02 AM
Updated : 17 Dec 2017, 10:02 AM

Voters will also elect 18 councillors for the new wards added to the Dhaka North City Corporation, 18 councillors for the new wards added to the Dhaka South City Corporation, and six reserve councillors to each of the two city corporations.

 “The schedules will be announced on the same day and all the elections will be held together,” the Election Commission’s acting Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed told the media on Sunday. “From ward councillors to the city corporation.”

The mayoral seat was vacated following the death of Annisul Huq on Nov 30.

The previous polls for the two Dhaka city corporations were held on Apr 28, 2015. Huq won the Dhaka North mayor’s seat with support from the Awami League.

Huq was two years into his term when he was hospitalised for cerebral vasculitis in July during a trip to London. He died on Nov 30. On Dec 1, the Local Government Division declared the mayor’s post vacant, giving the EC 90 days until Feb 28 to arrange new bypolls.

“As there are no complications to the Dhaka North City Corporation bypolls they will be conducted in the last week of February, with the full schedule announced by the Election Commission in the second week of January,” Ahmed said.

According to the Local Government Election Act, city corporation representatives are elected to a term of five years following their first meeting. The new Dhaka North mayor will serve the remaining length of Huq’s term.

The Dhaka North City Corporation under Huq held its first meeting on May 14, 2015. Accordingly, the new mayor and their team will serve until May 13, 2020.

On Jul 26 the Local Government Division issued a gazette expanding the two city corporation boundaries to include a total of 36 new wards.

On Aug 8, the EC was instructed to arrange elections for the posts of the 36 ward commissioners and 12 reserve seat commissioners for the additional wards.

The terms of these councillors will end alongside those of their city corporation counterparts.

With the addition of the new wards, Dhaka North City Corporation now has a total of 54, while the Dhaka South City Corporation has a total of 75.