EC plans six to seven phases of Union Parishad elections from November

Dhaka, Sep 05 (V7N)- The Election Commission (EC) has completed most of its preparations to hold the country's local government elections. The electoral process is expected to begin with Union Parishad (UP) elections in six or seven phases from November.

After the UP elections, the EC plans to hold elections to the remaining four local government bodies—municipalities, upazila parishads, city corporations and district parishads—in phases.

According to EC sources, preparations for announcing the Union Parishad election schedule are almost complete. The commission is planning to announce the schedule on September 15, with voting in the first phase expected to take place in the latter part of November. Voting in all eligible Union Parishads may be completed by the end of next year.

Earlier, on August 2, the Ministry of Local Government sent a letter to the EC instructing it to take necessary steps to organize the Union Parishad elections. Following the government's directive, the EC began formal preparations.

There are 4,581 Union Parishads in the country. Of these, 3,981 are expected to complete their terms or become eligible for elections this year. Elections to these Union Parishads were held in 2021 and 2022. The remaining Union Parishads are expected to become eligible for elections around 2027 and 2028.

The EC is planning to hold elections in all eligible Union Parishads in phases. Under the law, a general election must be held within 180 days of the expiry of the term of a Union Parishad.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Machud said the EC has made preparations for the local government elections and is moving forward with September 15 in mind for announcing the schedule and November as the starting point for voting. The commission is also maintaining communication with the government on the matter.

Asked about the number of phases, he said the plan would be broadly similar to the previous Union Parishad elections. However, elections may not be held in unions where complications exist over court cases or boundary demarcation.

Another Election Commissioner, Anwarul Islam Sarkar, said the EC is considering holding the Union Parishad elections in six or seven phases, indicating that the schedule could be announced on September 15.

EC preparations

The EC's work on reforming the relevant laws, rules and codes of conduct is now in its final stage. Last month, the commission finalized the draft Local Government Election Act and separate codes of conduct for five local government institutions and sent them to the Law Ministry for vetting. Following approval, the documents will be published as gazettes.

The voter list for the local government elections has also been finalized. The country has 128.777 million registered voters. The EC has set September 7 as the deadline for applications to transfer voter areas and September 10 for resolving those applications. The final voter list will be printed afterward.

The commission has also prepared a list of potential polling stations across the country. The number of polling stations for the local government elections could be 2,000 to 3,000 higher than those used in the February 12 parliamentary election and referendum.

A total of 42,761 polling stations were used in the February 12 polls. Since there will be no need to conduct two elections simultaneously, the EC plans to establish approximately one polling station for every 2,000 voters.

Meanwhile, the EC has instructed relevant ministries to complete annual examinations at educational institutions and other examinations before November, or as soon as possible. The move is aimed at ensuring that school buildings can be used as polling stations and teachers can perform election duties.

The EC has also held meetings with the heads of the police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and Ansar and VDP to prepare a law-and-order strategy for the elections.

During a meeting with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin sought a report on the overall law-and-order situation in the country. The EC will finalize its security plan after receiving the report.

The commission does not currently plan to deploy the army to maintain law and order during the local government elections.

Transparent ballot boxes and other voting materials purchased and stored ahead of the parliamentary election will be used in the local polls. The EC also purchased additional election materials in advance to ensure that local government elections can be organized quickly after the parliamentary polls.

EC sources said 115,000 small hosiery and gunny bags, 75,000 large hosiery bags, 175,000 marking seals, 840,000 official seals and other election materials were purchased before the parliamentary election. These materials have been stored for use in the local government elections.

EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters on Monday that preparations are in the final stages with the aim of holding local government elections from November. He said details of the election plan would be announced at the appropriate time.

END/SMA/AJ