13th National elections: EC in final phase for last-minute preparations

Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) has intensified preparations for the last week ahead of the 13th National Parliament Elections and referendum to be held on February 12. Election management, ballot transportation, voter participation, training, security, and political coordination are now the commission's highest priorities.

EC sources said that all commission departments are working 24 hours a day ahead of the elections, and the central control room has been activated to deal with any situation. The commission's observation team will be in the field from the morning of the polling day until the results are announced and the situation will be monitored immediately at the center. For this purpose, everyone concerned is making last-minute preparations.

Ballot papers begin to be sent
As part of the preparations for the last phase of the election, ballot papers containing the names and symbols of the candidates by seat have started to be sent to the offices of the returning officers of the respective districts. Election Commission Deputy Secretary Rashedul Islam told Views Bangladesh that ballot papers were sent from Dhaka to 13 districts on Sunday. These districts include Meherpur, Kushtia, Chuadanga, Jhenaidah, Bagerhat, Dinajpur, Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Laxmipur, Bandarban, Khagrachari, and Rangamati. Ballot papers were sent to Patuakhali, Barisal, Barguna, Pirojpur, Habiganj, Chapainawabganj, Munshiganj, and Gazipur districts on Monday.

He said that after the printing of ballot papers for all the constituencies in the districts concerned is completed, they are being sent in phases. The sending of ballot papers to all districts will be completed by February 8 or 9. The ballot papers will be delivered to the centers the day before the election. In the meantime, the sending of ballot papers for the referendum has been completed.

He also said that GPS-monitoring and armed security systems have been added to the ballot transport, so that the transportation process is 100% safe. These works are now being completed at a fast pace.

Initiatives to increase voter participation
The commission has taken several initiatives in the last few days to increase voter turnout. Online registration is open for expatriate voters and more than 1.3 million voters have completed their registration on the 'Postal Vote BD' app under the postal voting system. The EC says that their goal is to ensure the voting rights of registered voters till the last minute.

Training, technology, and field-level preparation
More than 1 million election officials - presiding, assistant, and polling officers - have been trained across the country through the EC's Electoral Training Institute. Follow up on what is being taken from the concerned this week. In addition, a digital result transmission system is being prepared on an experimental basis to send results to polling stations quickly. 'Mock voting' programs are also being conducted in different areas to provide a real voting experience, so that voters and officials get used to the process.

Political parties in final round of dialogue with EC
Various political parties are meeting Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin for the last time before the elections. EC sources said that in these meetings, the parties' views and concerns are being heard about the law and order situation on the day of the election, center management, observer appointment, ballot security, and transparency of the announcement of results.

Political parties have called for ensuring free, fair, and impartial elections. The commission said that the decisions and instructions of the commission will be strictly implemented during the election period and any complaints will be immediately verified and action will be taken. Last Sunday, six political parties including BNP and Jamaat, and on Monday, five more political parties including NCP discussed the law and order situation on the day of the election, center management, observer appointment, ballot security, and transparency of the announcement of results with the EC. This activity will continue throughout the current week.

Last-minute security preparations
Police, Ansar, and other law enforcement forces have been kept ready to make the election fair and peaceful. In addition, the necessary approvals and guidelines for domestic journalists and observers as well as foreign observers are being finalized.

About 900,000 law enforcement officers nationwide will perform election and referendum-related security duties. Of these, about 1,50,000 police officers, about 30,000 army officers, and about 650,000 Ansar and Village Defense Team members will perform various center and environment-monitoring duties on polling day. About 8,780 polling stations identified as particularly risky will be kept on high alert in the days leading up to the election, and RAB and BGB members will be deployed here along with the police.

Preparations are in full swing to send those assigned to security duties to specific centers or areas in a phased manner. This will be completed this week. After that, they will camp in their respective areas and work under the concerned returning officers.

In this regard, Akhtar Ahmed, Senior Secretary of the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat, told Views Bangladesh, "The Election Commission is completing last-minute preparations for a free and fair election and to prepare a level playing field (equal opportunities for all) in the voting field. All activities will be completed within this week. During this time, the EC is continuing regular dialogue with political parties to increase the acceptability of the election. Although holding the parliamentary election and referendum on the same day is a big challenge, we are optimistic about organizing a neutral, peaceful, and acceptable election.

"We are moving forward with the last-minute activities according to our preparations and roadmap."

The EC announced the schedule on the evening of December 11, 2025. According to the schedule, the 13th National Assembly elections and referendum will be held on the same day, February 12. A total of 2,170 candidates are contesting in 300 seats in 64 districts in this election.