EC won't hold dialogue before polls: Secretary

The election commission (EC) will not hold any dialogue with the political parties ahead of the next general elections.

Rejectng the possibility of such dialogue, EC secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed told newsmen on Thursday that the commission 'doesn’t have enough time' to hold dialogue before the 11th parliamentary polls.

He said the commission officials have already started taking preparations for the elections.

However, the bureaucrat said, there was no discussion yet on the specific date of the elections.

He just said the election is likely to be held by the end of December or at the beginning of January.

Prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, at a public rally in Sylhet earlier this year, told her party leaders and activists that the election would be held at the end of the year.

AL general secretary Obaidul Quader, too, indicated a similar date for holding the elections. He further ruled out the possibility of dialogue with the opposition political parties, especially arch rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party which boycotted the previous general elections in 2014.

The EC has in the meantime taken all preparations to announce the schedule for the general elections by the end of October or the first week of November, Helal Uddin added.

As per constitution, national election has to be held before 90 days of expiration of parliament. The current parliament -- 10th Jatiya Sangsad (national assembly) -- started its journey on 29 January, 2014.

So, as per the constitution, the countdown will be started from 30 october.

The EC secretary also informed the journalists that conference of chief election commissioners of eight SAARC countries is scheduled to be held in Dhaka on 5-6 September.

The heads of election commissions of South Asian countries will share their experiences at the conference, which will be inaugurated by speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.