Order to finish election preparations by December

The next parliamentary election is going to be held in February or April. For this, the chief adviser has ordered to finish all necessary preparations by December.

Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus issued various directives on election-related matters in a meeting with top level representatives of the law enforcement agencies, including home adviser Md Jahangir Alam.

The chief adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam and deputy press secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumder disclosed this at a press conference held at the Foreign Service Academy at 8:00 pm following the meeting.

Addressing the press conference, the press secretary said that the chief adviser had said the election would be held in February or April next year. In other words, we have to start the work right now to prepare the institutional structure needed for the polls.

The chief adviser held a meeting with Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), last month in London. Following that, a joint statement was given that the election could be held in the first of February if all preparations are completed by then.

The government has now officially opened up regarding the election preparations.  Although the agenda of yesterday’s meeting was mainly law and order, several election-related issues came up.

The press secretary said the chief adviser asked to finish the law and order preparations centering the election by December. The government is recruiting 17,000 new members in the law enforcement agencies. The chief adviser has asked to finish the recruitment process and training of the new members within that deadline.

Shafiqul Alam said the law and order situation usually deteriorates ahead of the election. Therefore the chief adviser has been ordered to enforce law strictly in the coming months ahead of the elections.

It was said in the press conference that a total of 800,000 members of law enforcement agencies will be deployed at field level. The chief adviser has directed to train each of these 800,000 members to ensure a peaceful election. And this should be done by December.

The press secretary said many people, mostly youth, would be voting for the first time. They were not able to vote in the rigged national polls of 2014, 2018, and 2024. The chief adviser has asked to find a way to make a separate voter list for people aged between 18 years and 33 years. He also ordered separate voting booths for them.

The members of Bangladesh Army are deployed across the country with executive magistracy power now. Asked whether they will hold the same authority as now till the election and their role during the polls, Shafiqul Alam said the army would be the striking force on election day.

Aallegations of police taking sides of local influential persons in some places create doubts regarding their neutral role during the parliamentary polls. Asked about this, press secretary Shafiqul Alam said that was the reason for the chief adviser stressing on intense training of the law enforcement agencies. In this case, the chief adviser has asked to consider the option of transferring members of one police station to another on the day of election.

In response to another question regarding the mob culture, the press secretary said, “The law enforcement agencies are quite active now. Those involved in such incidents have been arrested. The chief adviser has asked the law enforcement agencies to come down even harder in this regard.”

The press secretary said that how the members of law enforcement agencies are to be deployed is also an issue. The meeting discussed in detail how security personnel will be deployed in border areas and at polling centres marked risky—how many Ansar members and police personnel will be present, and how the army or BGB will be stationed and function as a striking force. Of the 800,000 members of the law enforcement agencies, 570,000 will be from Ansar and VDP and 141,000 from the police.

The press secretary said there would be a total of 47,000 polling centres across the country. They have reviewed the situation and found that around 16,000 polling centres can be considered risky. The chief adviser also gave directives to ensure peaceful voting at these centres. There have been detailed discussions on this and there have been some proposals, including the proposals to set up body CCTV cameras in every booth and make it obligatory for the police to wear body cams. The chief adviser also asked to make arrangements for training to ensure proper vigilance through these CCTV cameras.

Judicial and executive magistrates are deployed during elections. The press secretary said that during the meeting, it was noted that judicial magistrates often lack adequate training on election matters. Instructions were given to ensure they are better trained and prepared for election duties.

Previously, law enforcement agencies were deployed for four days during elections. This time, there is a proposal to extend the deployment to seven days.

The press secretary stated that the transfer of deputy commissioners (DCs), superintendents of police (SPs), and upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) prior to the election has also been discussed.

At the press conference, deputy press secretary to the chief adviser, Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumdar, said that the chief adviser suggested considering appointments made through a lottery system using identification numbers of officials, to prevent any undue influence in such appointments.

Azad Majumdar added that during the previous government's tenure, the Election Commission had canceled an entire constituency’s by-election after monitoring it via CCTV. Following that incident, the law was amended to curtail this authority, limiting the Commission to canceling results only at specific polling centers. The chief adviser has now asked for a legal review on whether the Commission's previous powers can be reinstated, allowing it to cancel an entire constituency’s election in case of widespread irregularities.

The issue of voter training—especially for many new voters—was also discussed in the meeting.

The Deputy Press Secretary noted that the Chief Adviser has asked whether presiding and polling officers from the last three controversial national elections can be excluded from this election’s staffing. Even if a complete exclusion isn’t possible, as many of them as possible should be replaced.  

It was also stated at the press conference that monitoring cells will be established at the upazila, district, divisional, and central levels to enable swift action in case of irregularities. There was also discussion about assigning police from one police station to oversee another during the election.

The Deputy Press Secretary clarified that no final decisions were made at the meeting, but the Chief Adviser issued guidance that government offices are expected to implement.

At the press briefing, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the Chief Adviser stated that past elections were largely ceremonial. Therefore, proper training is essential for conducting a genuine election. Everyone’s role must be clear, and mock elections should be held if needed for practice.

He added that the Chief Adviser has instructed the production of video content to help train voters. These videos should be broadcast on television and social media. Emergency contact numbers must be widely circulated. Special emphasis was placed on ensuring women’s voting rights.

The Chief Adviser remarked, “Half the voters are women; no one should be deprived of their right to vote. Adequate numbers of female officials must be deployed.”

The Press Secretary also shared that the Chief Adviser said people haven’t seen real voting in 16 years. What voters remember are clashes at polling centers and vote rigging. This time, voters must have a good experience—one they can remember positively. For first-time voters, it should be a proud moment.

The press briefing concluded with a note that steps must be taken in advance to ensure uninterrupted internet connectivity during the election and to allow genuine media outlets to operate freely. The Chief Adviser has also warned against allowing political party members to pose as election observers at polling centers.