Our target is December and national election: CEC

Chief election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has indicated that it will not be possible to hold local government elections by June.

“Our target is the national election which will be held in December,” he said.

The CEC made this statement at an event in Agargaon, Dhaka at the Election Training Institute on Monday.

The event was organised to mark the assumption of office by the new committee of RFED, an association of journalists covering the election commission.

The Local Government Reform Commission has observed that all local government elections can be held by June. 

Regarding this, CEC AMM Nasir Uddin stated, “The reform commission has advised that elections in June are possible. However, this would only be possible if 1.6 million deceased voters are not removed and new voters are excluded from the process. The voter list update will be completed by June.”

Nasir Uddin further said, “The statement issued by the local government reform commission reflects their perspective. The reform commission members are distinguished and wise people. The CEC has no comment on this matter. A political debate is ongoing regarding this issue and the election commission does not wish to be involved in that. The voter list must be completed first, as it has not yet been finalised.”

The CEC emphasised that they do not wish to make any premature comments.

He stated that, as per the chief adviser’s announcement, they are proceeding with preparations for the election.

Nasur Uddin stated that if the national election is to be held in December, the election schedule must be announced in October.

He mentioned that preparations, including the voter list update, are underway. Several appeals regarding redefining the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies remain pending due to legal complexities, preventing their resolution.”

The chief election commissioner also said the election commission has already submitted a proposal to the government for amending the relevant laws and will present further proposals as necessary.

He added that even if the reform commission had not been formed, these measures would still have been required. The election commission is undertaking the necessary reforms which they feel are essential for conducting a fair election.

When asked whether the current law and order situation would allow for the national election, the CEC responded that they believe the situation will stabilise by December. 

He expressed his hope that, with the cooperation of all stakeholders, they would be able to generate such momentum that the sole focus of the people would be on casting their votes and nothing else.