CEC to record address at 4pm today : EC Secretary

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A M M Nasir Uddin will record his address to the nation at 4pm today ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election and the national referendum, Election Commission (EC) Secretary Akhtar Hossain told reporters at the EC office in Agargaon on Wednesday (December 10).

Earlier in the afternoon, the CEC, four Election Commissioners, and the EC Secretary met President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban to brief him on election preparations and ongoing activities.

After the meeting, the EC Secretary said that once the CEC’s speech is recorded, the Commission will hold discussions and confirm the schedule announcement.

The EC Secretary added that the President expressed satisfaction with the Commission’s preparations and assured full support to ensure a fair, credible, and meaningful election. The CEC also updated the President on the progress of the voter list update from January to October and the current status of political party registrations.

The President sought details on how technical and logistical management would work if the national election and referendum were held on the same day. He asked about ballot paper colors, distribution methods, average voter time during mock voting, and the technical process of vote counting. After hearing the explanations, he termed the proposed voting hours—from 7:30am to 4:30pm—reasonable.

He also showed interest in the technical setup for “Out-of-Country Voting” and “In-Country Postal Voting.” The President expressed satisfaction after learning that preparations were underway with support from local experts.

The EC Secretary said the President reaffirmed that he would extend all necessary cooperation within his authority to ensure a peaceful and meaningful election.