Election roadmap expected on Sunday

The Election Commission (EC) is likely to announce the roadmap for the 13th national parliamentary election on Sunday, once key preparations are finalised.

“On Sunday, we will brief the media on the roadmap. The announcement may be made that day,” Election Commissioner Abu Fazal Md Sanaullah told reporters on Thursday at the EC headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka. He spoke during a break in a special meeting convened to review the draft roadmap ahead of the polls.

The meeting began at 2:30pm with four election commissioners and senior officials from the EC Secretariat. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin was unable to attend due to other commitments, while EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed is currently in Japan.

Sanaullah explained that discussions on the action plan were still ongoing. “Some issues may not be finalised today. In that case, the matter will be settled by Sunday or Monday after consultation with the CEC,” he said.

The announcement comes as the EC finalises the voter list, updates election laws, redraws constituency boundaries, and prepares logistics such as party registration, election materials, and postal voting for expatriates.

Over 123 million voters are currently registered, with the polls expected before Ramadan in February. The election schedule will likely be declared in early December.

The current EC, headed by CEC Nasir Uddin, took office in November 2024 after the fall of the Awami League government and the formation of the interim administration. The commission includes Abdur Rahmanel Mashud, Tahmida Ahmed, Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar, and Abu Fazal Md Sanaullah, with Akhtar Ahmed serving as secretary.

At the start of 2025, the voter roll was updated to include 123.7 million names, with an additional 4.6 million excluded voters under review. The final list will be published on 31 August, followed by a supplementary list in October.

Of 143 applications for party registration, 121 have been rejected, while 22 remain under field investigation. Hearings on 1,760 objections covering 82 constituencies will be held between 24 and 27 August, before the final gazette is published.

Meanwhile, the EC is processing 318 applications from prospective election observers. At least 44 amendments to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) have been finalised and will soon be sent to the Ministry of Law, while the party code of conduct has already been approved.

Preparations for IT-based voter registration, postal ballots for expatriates, and a public awareness campaign are also underway. Procurement of election materials is scheduled for completion by September.

The EC’s August roadmap includes dialogues, consultations, training, printing, IT and budgetary work, publicity campaigns, and inter-ministerial coordination, along with pre- and post-schedule tasks that follow a set timeline.

The roadmap concept was first introduced in 2007–08, when an 18-month plan culminated in the December 2008 election with reforms such as voter lists with photographs and party registration. Since then, roadmaps and checklists have been part of every national election.

As part of its routine preparations, the EC updates the voter roll, reforms election laws, redraws constituencies, registers new parties, prepares postal voting, and publishes final voter and constituency data at least 25 days before polling. It also trains observers, prints electoral materials, coordinates with ministries for security and foreign observer access, and manages publicity through the media.

Polling officials are appointed and trained, election equipment is distributed, and inter-ministerial meetings ensure smooth conduct of the election, including arrangements for magistrates, security forces, and result reporting.