Dhaka, Feb 10 (V7N) — The Election Commission (EC) expects to release most results of the 13th National Parliament elections and referendum by night on February 12, said Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon (February 10) at the Election Commission Building.

He said the distribution of ballot papers and election materials will begin on Wednesday, February 11, and are expected to reach polling stations by evening. The results of parliamentary constituencies and the referendum will be counted together, with a total of four briefings scheduled on polling day.

“The results of the referendum will be announced based on a majority of votes nationwide,” the commissioner added.

Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah said that elections will be held in 299 constituencies on February 12, with voting postponed in one constituency. Any voters within the constituency limits after 4:30 pm will still be allowed to cast their ballots. A total of 2,028 candidates, including 81 women, are contesting in 42,659 polling centers. Approximately 50 percent of these are general centers, while the rest are considered important or high-risk centers. The total number of registered voters exceeds 127.7 million.

The briefing also highlighted that 730,000 postal ballots will arrive in the country by Tuesday morning. A total of 45,330 domestic observers will monitor the elections, while 958,000 law enforcement officers, 2,100 executive magistrates, and 957 judicial magistrates will be on duty. To ensure surveillance, CCTV cameras have been installed in over 90 percent of polling centers, and drones and body-worn cameras will be deployed in sensitive areas.

END/SMA/AJ