Says Acting CEC
Preparations underway for local govt elections keeping October in mind
Acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rahmanel Masud. Photo: Collected.
The Election Commission is preparing to organize the local government elections in October of this year, said Acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rahmanel Masud. He said, "We are working (for local polls) keeping October in mind. However, this does not mean the elections will definitely take place in October. No such guarantee can be given."
He made these remarks today, Monday, at a fruit festival organized by the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED) at the EC Secretariat.
Rahmanel Masud further said that there is no mandatory provision in the law for the Election Commission to consult with the government. Constitutionally, the Election Commission can perform its duties independently. However, since various electoral matters, including boundary delimitation, are related to the government, both written and unwritten coordination are necessary.
The Acting CEC noted that multiple elections are currently pending, and it is not possible to hold all of them simultaneously. Therefore, priorities will be determined by considering which election would benefit the public more if held first and where people are facing greater suffering. These matters will be discussed with the government, and based on those discussions, the Election Commission will announce the schedule for the next elections.
Meanwhile, Election Commissioner (EC) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah said that starting next week, the Senior Secretary of the Election Commission will regularly brief the media on the progress of preparations for the local government elections.
According to him, the draft code of conduct for the local government elections has been published on the Commission's website, and feedback has been received from relevant stakeholders. Work is currently underway to review these opinions alongside existing laws to make the necessary amendments and adjustments.
Regarding boundary delimitation, he commented that the Election Commission has decided to coordinate with the relevant authorities to expedite the delimitation work, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Local Government Division, so that the process can be completed as quickly as possible.
Presided over by RFED President Kazi Emad Uddin Jebel and moderated by General Secretary Ikram Ud Doula, the event was also attended by the other two Election Commissioners, Tahmida Ahmad and Md. Anwarul Islam Sarker, alongside EC Senior Secretary Akhter Ahmed and other senior officials.
