EC preparing for polls based on govt timeline, action plan expected by June-July

The Election Commission (EC) is preparing for the 13th national election in line with the timeline announced by the current interim government.

Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar, speaking to reporters at the EC headquarters in Agargaon today, said a detailed action plan for the upcoming polls is expected to be released by June or July.

"We are moving forward based on the repeatedly announced timeline by the government, and that is December," he said.

When asked about the official announcement of the roadmap, Sarkar noted, "Since this commission took oath, we have been moving forward with our own action plan. As part of that, we are currently working on changing the administrative names of constituencies as part of the parliamentary seat re-demarcation. The work on the voter list is in its final stages. We've also made considerable progress in the process of political party registration."

He added, "If we receive the legal amendment, the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies can be completed within three months. We expect to finish the work preceding the work plan within that timeframe."

The printed version of the action plan, which the EC typically publishes ahead of the election, is expected by June or July, he reiterated.

Regarding party registration, the EC said, "So far, three parties have applied for registration, and many others have sought an extension of the deadline. The current application deadline is April 20. During the tenure of the previous commission, around 100 applications were received."

He said, "We will hold discussions with the registered parties. To ensure we can meet with the registered parties, we have issued the public notice. It takes six months to complete the registration process. Since we are working according to the government-announced timeline, we expect to receive registration applications by the 20th and complete the work on time. This will allow new registrants to participate in the discussions with us."

He confirmed that the EC will consult with political parties before announcing the election schedule.

"We call this a consultation meeting. The election-related political parties, law enforcement agencies, and those who need training—these tasks must be completed within this timeframe," he said.