The election schedule is expected to be announced in the second week of December

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said on Saturday that the schedule for the upcoming parliamentary elections and the referendum is expected to be announced in the second week of December.

“Hopefully, we anticipate the announcement to come in the second week of December,” he told reporters after inspecting a mock voting exercise at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government Girls' High School in the capital.

Explaining the purpose of the mock voting, the CEC said Saturday’s simulation was designed to observe what an ideal polling centre should look like in practice.

“We are examining voter queues, the work of polling officials, and the situation that may arise in the presence of journalists and observers through real-life demonstrations,” he said.

Four election commissioners, the EC secretary, and European Union (EU) Ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller were also present.

The CEC noted that many people—particularly first-time voters—were gaining practical insights through the mock voting, adding that the Election Commission was assessing its management capacity across the entire voting period.

“Since a referendum will be held alongside the general election, time management has become even more crucial,” he said.

He added that based on Saturday’s assessment, the EC would decide whether the roughly 42,500 polling centres would be adequate or if more booths are needed. Increasing booths would raise costs for manpower, ballot boxes, and logistics, but the commission would prioritise necessity over expense.

Regarding the referendum, the CEC said it would contain four questions, but voters would respond with a single ‘YES’ or ‘NO’. The questions are bundled by law, with no option to vote differently on individual items.

Commenting on the law and order situation, he said conditions were significantly better than before, with close coordination among law enforcement agencies. While isolated incidents could occur, the commission remained confident about ensuring a safe polling environment.

The mock voting drill began at 8:00am with 500 participants. Speaking to reporters, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the exercise was essential for identifying the challenges of conducting two major votes simultaneously.

“Since both the national election and referendum will take place on the same day, we want to gather insights beforehand to ensure a smoother process,” he said.

Findings from the mock drill will guide decisions on whether additional booths, personnel, or logistical adjustments are needed.

Participants included elderly voters, slum dwellers, students, transgender individuals, persons with disabilities, and trainees from the Election Training Institute (ETI). Postal ballots were also tested.

A multi-agency security deployment—comprising police, Ansar, RAB, BGB, and Army—was positioned around the centre, where voters queued in separate lines for men and women.