The Election Commission is making all preparations with the December election in mind, and has no plans for anything other than the national election.
On Tuesday, AMM Nasir Uddin and the commission held a meeting with ambassadors from 18 development partner countries, including the UNDP.
After a nearly two-hour meeting at the Election Commission building, Election Commissioner (EC) Abul Fazl Md Sanaullah outlined the commission's position.
In response to questions from journalists, the Election Commissioner said, "As the Chief Adviser stated on December 16, if the election is conducted with minimal reforms and political consensus is reached, it could be held by the end of December 2025. However, if there is opportunity for additional reforms, the election could be pushed to June 2026."
Regarding the Election Commission's preparations, Abul Fazlul Md Sanaullah said, "We have told that we are preparing based on the earliest possible date. Our position remains unchanged. We are preparing with December in mind. We have no other preparations, only one preparation – the national election."
He stated that if the government requests local elections prior to the national election, the Election Commission could assess whether it is feasible.
He added, "Based on past experience, I have seen that conducting local elections at five levels takes about a year. Not all of our local government institutions have become dysfunctional, some are still operational. Given these conditional factors, providing a specific timeline is not possible. We believe the government will consider the available timeframes and, if they think it is possible to frame the national election within a certain time, they will decide how much can be done. The Commission will also remain alert to anything that may disrupt the national election."
He futher said that the government would decide which local government elections to hold and in which institutions. At that point, the Election Commission will assess whether it will affect the national election. Before that, it is not possible to determine.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
