DHAKA, July 11, (V7N )– The Election Commission (EC) is in full swing with preparations to ensure the 13th parliamentary elections are held on schedule. To this end, the commission has initiated pre-election preparatory work aimed at elevating the credibility and acceptability of the upcoming polls.

In a significant development, the commission's eighth meeting on Thursday saw several crucial decisions made to accelerate the necessary preparations for the parliamentary election. Over the past 15 days, the EC’s activities have conveyed a clear message to both its staff and the general public: the commission is committed to fostering a credible electoral environment as soon as the election announcement is made.

Commission officials, speaking to BSS, highlighted that these programs are being undertaken with a firm resolve to address the trust deficit that has emerged among political parties in previous elections.

Following the recent EC meeting, Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah announced that Bangladeshis residing abroad will be granted the opportunity to cast their votes via postal ballots in the upcoming parliamentary elections. He detailed the estimated costs, noting that postal voting through government post offices would cost approximately Tk 700 per ballot, while courier services like DHL could incur costs of up to Tk 5,000 per ballot. The commission plans further discussions with the IT department to finalize the course of action for expatriate voting. He also confirmed that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will not be utilized in either parliamentary or local government elections.

Election Commission officials further indicated that the commission is advancing with various plans to prepare its staff, particularly those directly involved in election duties. Overall, these activities suggest that the preparations for the 13th National Parliamentary elections are now well underway.

As part of its comprehensive election readiness, the Election Commission on Wednesday established five important committees through separate office orders. Each of these five separate seven-member coordination committees is headed by a different election commissioner.

These newly formed committees include: the ‘monitoring committee for the preparation of polling officer panels and training programmes’; the ‘committee for law and order coordination and monitoring’; the ‘committee for coordination with the field administration over the electoral activities’; the ‘monitoring and coordination committee for electoral laws, rules, policies and the activities of the electoral inquiry bodies’; and the ‘coordination committee over Out of Country Voting (OCV) and Local and Foreign Observers’.

Election Commissioner Tahmida Ahmad leads the monitoring committee for polling officer panel preparation and training, with members including the EC’s NID Registration Wing director general, two joint secretaries, and a deputy secretary. Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah also chairs the law and order coordination and monitoring committee, alongside the project director of the EC’s IDEA Project (Phase-II), two joint secretaries, and a deputy secretary. Md Anwarul Islam Sarker heads the committee for field administration coordination, which includes the EC’s NID Registration Wing Director General, two joint secretaries, and a deputy secretary. Abdur Rahmanel Masud leads the monitoring and coordination committee for electoral laws and inquiry bodies, with two joint secretaries and two deputy secretaries as members. Finally, Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah chairs the coordination committee for Out of Country Voting (OCV) and Local and Foreign Observers, with a joint secretary, a deputy secretary, the public relations director, and the ICT system manager also serving as members.

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