The roadmap for the 13th parliamentary election will likely be unveiled next week, said the Election Commission Senior Secretary Md Akhtar Ahmed on Thursday evening.
After months of speculation and tensions rising within the political parties about the timing of the election, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on 5 August announced that the polls would be held in February next year.
Why it matters
- The next election is likely to be a unique one because it comes on the back of a mass uprising that last year ousted an Awami League regime that ruled the country for 15 years, becoming increasingly authoritarian till its fall.
- In the aftermath, calls for reform and changes rang out from most quarters. Therefore, what shape the polling will take and what reforms will be enacted before a political government takes power remains to be seen.
- The EC secretary said the roadmap will give a clear idea about the preparations for the polls, as well as the timelines to amendments and reforms to existing electoral laws.
What we know so far
- Apart from members of the police, Ansar, and other agencies, around 80,000 army personnel will be deployed during the election.
- Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said on Sunday that the law and order situation, which has deteriorated over the last year, will improve by the time the elections roll around
- Elections under the AL regime, especially the ones in 2014, 2018 and 2024, were rife with irregularities, including interference on behalf of the ruling party by the local administration.
- To that end, the home adviser recently said that officers in charge and superintendents of police would be transferred using a lottery system after the EC announces the polls schedule.
- However, the efficacy of that measure has been questioned.
What they said
- "We have discussed the election roadmap. We hope that we'll be able to unveil the election roadmap by next week." – Election Commission secretary, speaking to reporters at the Nirbachan Bhaban.
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