Following the local government state minister’s statement on holding union parishad (UP) elections between January and June next year, preparations and possible plans for the elections are being examined, said Akhtar Ahmed, senior secretary of the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat.
He told journalists this after a meeting with UNDP at Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon in the capital on Thursday.
In setting the timing of the UP elections, the SSC examinations, Ramadan, religious festivals, national days and local social realities will be taken into account, and the commission will reach a coordinated, realistic decision after reviewing everything, he said.
Preliminary discussions were held on a proposal under the UN Development Programme’s BALLOT project to train EC Secretariat and field officials, police and journalists, he said. The training aims to build their skills in countering disinformation, misinformation and hate speech, and is not tied to any particular election but is an ongoing capacity-building initiative. The proposal is still at an early stage, and the content and participants will be finalised in further talks.
Proposals on the election schedule and other matters came up at an inter-ministerial meeting on September 17, the EC secretary said. The commission has not yet decided on deploying law enforcement agencies, or the army if needed, to ensure free and credible elections.
The fair and successful election of February 12 set a high standard of public expectations, and the commission is working to maintain and further improve that standard, he said. Voter lists, polling centres and necessary election materials will be prepared, and local conditions and the environment assessed, before further decisions are taken.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report