Election Commission says the schedule will be announced in the first half of December, with voting to be held in early February

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday announced a detailed roadmap for the 13th parliamentary elections, expected to take place in early February next year.

Unveiling the plan at a press briefing in Agargaon, Dhaka, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the election schedule will be declared in the first half of December. The commission has outlined 24 priority areas to ensure smooth and peaceful polls, including constituency demarcation, updating the voter list, registering new political parties, and approving election observers.

According to the roadmap:

• Registration of new political parties will close on 14 September, with the final gazette due on 30 September.

• Constituency delimitation will be completed with the gazette published on 15 September, while GIS-based constituency maps will be released on 30 September.

• Dialogue with political parties and stakeholders will begin in late September.

• The final voter list will be published on 30 November.

• The list of polling stations will be published on 5 October, with the official gazette issued 25 days before election day.

• Registration of local observers will conclude by 15 November, while international observers and foreign journalists will be cleared by the same date.

• Postal ballots for prisoners will be dispatched two weeks before election day, and ballots for expatriates will be arranged through a postal system by January 2026.

• Printing of manuals, guidelines, and posters will be completed by 15 September, and training for election officials will run from 29 August until just before voting.

• Transparent ballot papers will be prepared by 30 November, and all election materials distributed by 31 December.

• The election budget will be finalised on 15 November, followed by meetings on fund allocations for law enforcement between 16–20 November.

• The first meeting on overall law and order will be held on 25 September, with an inter-ministerial meeting on election preparations scheduled for 31 October. ICT-related work is expected to be completed by then.

• Public awareness campaigns will wrap up by 30 November, and uninterrupted telecom services will be ensured for result transmission.