The 13th national parliament election will likely be held by next February.
Although the Election Commission (EC) is preparing for a possible December timeline, growing demands from political parties may push the national election to February 2025.
Due to Ramadan and several public examinations scheduled after mid-February, the final vote is planned for early in the month.
Bangladesh Pratidin obtained this information through conversations with top-tier Election Commission officials.
The roadmap or action plan for the 13th national parliament election is expected to be announced within the next six months.
In the meantime, the Election Commission has updated a draft version of the roadmap outlining a series of activities to be carried out before and after the announcement of the election schedule.
Once the voter list is finalized, the constitutional body is expected to officially announce the election roadmap between June and July.
Preparations are underway to announce the election schedule in October, allowing 60 to 65 days for the process, with the plan to hold the election in late December.
However, the schedule may be revised multiple times in response to growing demands from political parties. As a result, Election Commission officials are now indicating the possibility of postponing the election until February.
However, there is a precedent for scheduling the vote in December, typically announced in the second or third week of November.
Besides announcing the schedule in October, the EC is working on holding dialogues with political parties in August-September, finalizing the voter list by June, publishing the registration gazette for new political parties by July-August.
“We are working towards the goal of holding the general election in December,” Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker told Bangladesh Pratidin. He added that the action plan will be announced in June-July, once the preliminary voting preparations are completed.
“All necessary tasks must be finished before the election schedule is announced in October,” he further explained, noting that the schedule is planned to be declared in October, 60-70 days prior to the election date.
Poll preparations include training, holding dialogues with stakeholders, and political parties. Meetings must be held with the Army, other law enforcement agencies, related ministries, including the home ministry and field administration.
“This is an extensive task,” he said, adding that the meeting will be held between August and September.
“The work of updating the voter list will be accomplished by June, the Election Commissioner said.
EC officials said that this time, the election schedule will include multiple potential dates for holding the elections.
The roadmap will outline a timeline for all activities—from procuring election materials to publishing the official gazette—and the EC Secretariat will proceed with preparations accordingly.
The EC has held a preparatory meeting to discuss the quantity of paper needed for printing election materials for the 13th parliamentary election, along with the budget and the timeline from procurement to printing.
Preparations are underway to procure the required paper and complete printing within four months ahead of the election.
During the 12th general election, 161,000 reams of paper were purchased at a cost of Tk 33 crore. This time, the requirement is expected to rise to at least 170,000 reams, with the paper cost alone potentially reaching Tk 36 crore.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said that preparations are being streamlined to avoid any delays in election-related activities. He noted that procuring paper and completing printing could take three to four months. “Once the election date or schedule is finalized, we must have a backward calculation,” he added.
According to EC officials, a draft list outlining at least two dozen preparatory tasks has been drawn up six months ahead of the election. The draft roadmap includes a timeline for activities both before and after the announcement of the election schedule.
This will set deadlines for every phase, from purchasing materials to publishing the official gazette, with the EC Secretariat proceeding accordingly.
In the 12th parliamentary election, the previous EC held a roadmap announcement event in early September 2023.
The current commission, which assumed office in late November last year, will complete six months in May. By then, the updated voter list is also expected to be finalized. The commission aims to complete the national election process within one year of its tenure.
Translated by Afsar Munna
