Roadmap to JS Polls: EC to open talks with parties in July

Election Commission will hold dialogues with political parties from July in order to make the next parliamentary polls a participatory one, according to a draft roadmap prepared by the EC Secretariat.

The draft roadmap stipulates amendment to electoral laws and rules and demarcation of the constituencies between August and December this year, EC sources said. 

“We submitted the draft roadmap to the EC on April 8 for a review,” EC Secretary Muhammad Abdullah told The Daily Star.

New political parties will be able to register with the commission between November this year and March next year, EC officials said. 

The EC will issue public notifications seeking application for registration of new political parties.

The draft roadmap has 22 major points regarding the next parliamentary polls scheduled for early 2019, Muhammad Abdullah added.

"The commission will decide about other stakeholders to be invited to the dialogues," he said.

Having digital voting machines (DVM) ready by February next year and launching a campaign to popularise those machines, and holding mock polls 10 days ahead of the actual polls top the agenda.

Transparent ballot boxes were proposed as an alternative to the DVMs.

The EC will sit with political parties 25 days and with NGOs, newsmen and civil society representatives 35 days ahead of the announcement of election schedule. Their suggestions on polling dates and other major issues would be taken into account.

The draft stresses the need for multiple meetings with political parties, law enforcers, election observers and foreign diplomats to ensure a participatory national election, the EC secretary added.

The roadmap also says that the EC will take political parties' suggestions on the appointments of election officers, where polling stations should be, and preparing the voter lists.

"The election should be held on time, as there is a constitutional obligation for holding polls within 90 days prior to the current parliament's dissolution," Abdullah said.

The five-year tenure of the Awami League-led government will expire on January 11, 2019.

Before holding the 2008 national polls, which according to local and international observers was free, fair and impartial, the EC led by then CEC ATM Shamsul Huda also prepared a roadmap.

BNP and many other political parties that are not part of the AL-led grand alliance have been demanding a "non-partisan administration" during the election.