Presidential election voting to be broadcast live: EC

Voting for the presidential election will be broadcast live, announced Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. He also stated that seating arrangements will be made for journalists during the voting process.

A meeting regarding preparations for the presidential election was held at the Cabinet Room of the National Parliament, chaired by Acting Speaker Kaiser Kamal on Tuesday (August 11). Speaking to journalists at the Election Commission building after the meeting, the EC secretary shared these details.

On July 24, the 22nd President, Mohammed Shahabuddin, resigned citing illness. Subsequently, the EC announced the presidential election schedule, setting the polling date for August 20. This time, the BNP and Jamaat alliance are preparing to field candidates in the presidential election. If there are multiple valid candidates, voting for the presidency could take place after a long gap of 35 years.

Describing the voting procedure, Akhtar Ahmed said that Members of Parliament will cast their votes from their respective seats. Twenty election commission assisting officers, along with the Speaker, will deliver ballot papers to the members. Afterward, members will write the name of their chosen candidate, sign it, and cast their vote in any of the three ballot boxes placed in front.

The EC secretary stated that vote counting will take place immediately inside the parliament session room once voting concludes at 5pm. The total number of ballots is 349. Following the count, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) will announce the preliminary results on the spot, after which the final gazette notification will be published from the secretariat.

He noted that the electoral process will be broadcast live directly from parliament, and designated seating arrangements will be provided for media personnel.

Regarding the ballot papers, Akhtar Ahmed explained that each ballot will consist of two parts. One part will feature the serial number, voter's name, division number, and a space for a signature. The other part will list the names of the competing candidates. Voters will be required to write their full name next to the candidate's name and sign it.

The EC secretary further informed that 20 election commission officials and staff will perform duties related to the election and will be provided with separate identification cards. The Election Commissioners will also be present to observe the voting and electoral activities.

He mentioned that following a long hiatus since 1991, a presidential election is set to take place.

In response to a journalist's question regarding whether MPs voting against their party's candidate would fall under Article 70 of the Constitution, Akhtar Ahmed remarked that this is a political question and falls outside procedural election matters, so it is best to get the answer from political leaders.