Full preparation completed, election possible in early February: EC

The Election Commission EC has completed full preparations to hold the 13th National Parliamentary Election in the first half of February.

Senior Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Ma’sud said in an exclusive interview, “There is no obstacle for the EC in organising the election now. Our preparation is one hundred per cent complete. If the election is held in the first or second week of February, we are fully prepared.”

He said, according to the latest report, the imported indelible ink for voting has arrived. This is an important part of election preparation. Almost all the essential works required before the polls have already been completed.

Regarding the current law and order situation of the country, Abdur Rahmanel Ma’sud said that a sound and peaceful law and order situation is essential not only for the election but also for overall development and stability of the country. When political parties have announced their candidates, an electoral atmosphere has already been created. He said they believe the situation will improve further once everyone joins the field.

He also said that the upcoming National Parliamentary Election is extremely important. Without an elected government and democratic continuity, the country will not achieve stability and sustainable development. Therefore, this election must be fair, neutral and participatory.

Abdur Rahmanel Ma’sud also said that overcoming the public distrust created by irregularities in several past national elections is the main goal of the current commission.

He said further, “There is no alternative to holding a good election. In the interest of the nation, the country and to restore people’s confidence, we must organise a fair, neutral and acceptable election. Our aim is to make this election a festival for the people.”

A senior official of the EC Secretariat told BSS that all fundamental preparations including procurement of election materials, amendment of laws, and updating of the voter list will be completed within November. All preparations will be finished before the announcement of the election schedule in early December.

According to the latest data from the EC, the total number of voters in the country stands at 127,612,384. Among them, male voters are 64,760,382, female voters are 62,850,772 and voters of the third gender hijra are 1,230. Between September 1 and October 31, the number of voters increased by 1,304,880.