[🇧🇩] Forming Election Commission/Conducting Elections

[Saif]

EC ramps up preparations for national election

The Election Commission, under the stewardship of Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, has embarked on preparations for the nation's 13th parliamentary election, setting the wheels in motion for what it promises to be a festival time in the country's democratic journey

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EC ramps up preparations for national election

The Election Commission, under the stewardship of Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, has embarked on preparations for the nation's 13th parliamentary election, setting the wheels in motion for what it promises to be a festival time in the country's democratic journey.

In a decisive move, the EC has instructed its officials to initiate the procurement process for critical election materials.

Plans are also underway to fast-track the door-to-door data collection drive, starting in January instead of March, to ensure an updated and robust electoral roll.

These resolutions emerged from an impromptu meeting of the commission, presided over by the CEC on Thursday.

The session delved into key issues, including voter list updates, constituency delimitation and the procurement of election essentials.

Streamlined Procurement Timeline

With swift execution, the EC feels that its secretariat could secure all necessary materials within six to seven months.

Officials emphasised the need for meticulous planning to adhere to the timeline.

The meeting detailed the inventory required for the election, which includes transparent ballot boxes, indelible ink pens, official and marking seals, stamp pads, chargers, and other essentials.

A review of the existing stocks against projected requirements underscored the urgency of the procurement process.

Indelible ink, a crucial component, must be imported and typically requires up to 70 days for delivery. But the EC noted that some contractors have expedited the process in the past, raising hopes for an efficient turnaround.

Aligning with Election Timeline

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus recently suggested that the 13th general election could be held in late 2025 or early 2026.

Responding to this, CEC AMM Nasir Uddin instructed EC officials to align preparations with this projected timeline.

"We will be fully prepared to hold the election as per the timeframe suggested by the Honourable Chief Adviser," the CEC affirmed, exuding confidence in the EC's ability to meet the challenge.

Accelerating Voter List Updates

The EC is also poised to expedite the annual update of the voter list.

Traditionally, a draft list is published on January 2, inviting public feedback. Any complaints are resolved before the final list is released on March 2.

The proposed early start to the data collection campaign reflects the EC's commitment to ensuring an accurate and inclusive voter list.

Thursday's meeting was attended by four election commissioners and senior EC officials, who pledged their collective efforts to ensure smooth preparations for the upcoming national elections.​

 

[Saif]

BNP allies want election by 2025

The political allies of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party want national elections by 2025. They have also asked the BNP to immediately plan a programme to press home their demands that...

www.newagebd.net

BNP allies want election by 2025
Staff Correspondent 21 December, 2024, 17:17

The political allies of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party want national elections by 2025. They have also asked the BNP to immediately plan a programme to press home their demands that include holding the next national elections by 2025.

The suggestions came on Saturday from dialogues between the BNP and its allies in which the leaders of the 12-Party Alliance, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, and Labour Party met with the BNP liaison committee.

The dialogues were held as part of the series started from the day between the BNP and its allies at the party chairperson’s office in the capital’s Gulshan.

On the day, a delegation from the Liberal Democratic Party was also scheduled to meet with the BNP leaders, but the meeting was rescheduled.

The BNP allies said that a programme was imperative to exert political pressure on the interim government for holding the elections by 2025.

When asked, LDP chairman and also spokesperson for the 12-Party Alliance Shahadat Hossain Selim told New Age, ‘Most of the leaders of our alliance gave opinions at the meeting in favour of holding the next election by next year.’

‘We are in favour of a quick election to thwart conspiracies centring the election which may delay the polls,’ Selim said.

The election is possible by June 2025 if the interim government had the good will, he added.

Another leader, preferring anonymity, of the alliance said, ‘Everyone during the dialogue said that the next election should be held by 2025. We simply do not want it to be delayed to 2026.’

‘The BNP believes that conspiracies are in the making to create instability in the country as they are monitoring the situation. At this meeting we had initial discussions to give a programme on various issues, including elections and rising commodity prices,’ the leader said.

The final decision would come after discussions at the BNP standing committee meeting, the leader noted.

A member of the 12-party alliance, Jatiya Party (Kazi Jafar) chairman Mustafa Jamal Haider said that had a long meeting with the BNP leaders.

‘Discussions were held on what the political programme would be in the coming days. The programme will be finalised after discussions in the BNP standing committee meeting.’

Noting that the need for unity had not yet ended, he said ‘We have been carrying out an anti-fascist movement for long and we are still united.’

After the meeting with 12-party alliance, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan told journalists that BNP would continue to work with other political parties in the future on the emerging political situation and contemporary issues of the country, as it had done in the past.

Noting that views were exchanged on the existing political situation at the meeting, he said that decisions would be taken at the BNP standing committee meeting and would be announced later.

BNP’s other partner in simultaneous movement, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, at a programme in Cumilla on the day also iterated its demand for next national elections by 2025.

BNP began a series of dialogue with like-minded political parties on the day by holding its first meeting with the 12-Party Alliance leaders in a bid to consolidate unity and seek their opinions on the next general election.

BNP liaison committee members, headed by party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, participated in the meeting.​

 

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EC will decide who will join elections: Badiul Alam Majumder

People from different strata expressed their opinions at the event where two other members of the commission – Tofail Ahmed and Jesmin Tuli – were also present.

en.prothomalo.com

EC will decide who will join elections: Badiul Alam Majumder
Staff Correspondent
Dhaka
Published: 22 Dec 2024, 19: 08

Badiul Alam Majumder, head of the electoral system reform commission, speaks at a an event to exchange views on reform to the electoral system in Chattogram on 22 December 2024.Prothom Alo

Head of the electoral system reform commission, Badiul Alam Majumdar, has said, “The election commission will decide who will join the election and who are eligible or ineligible for polls, whereas our tasks are to place proposals on reform to the electoral system.”

Badiul Alam Majumdar said this replying to journalists’ queries on the participation of all political parties in elections after an event to exchange views on reform to the electoral system in Chattogram on Sunday.

People from different strata expressed their opinions at the event where two other members of the commission – Tofail Ahmed and Jesmin Tuli – were also present.

Saying that everyone wants a fair election, Badiul Alam Majumdar added, “We will places some proposals but it is the responsibility of the government to implement those.”

Regarding the election deadline, he said, “We expect to make recommendations by 31 December. The chief adviser said that let the election train roll on the track and the formation of the election commission was their first task. Our tasks do not contradict with theirs but they still have lots to do that include updating voter lists, and it is necessary to start those tasks.”

He said, “We will recommend on reform to electoral system. We also are considering everything including proportional representation. But these are not our decisions. These issues require change to constitution and the commission to change constitution should make these recommendations.”​

 

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Amir Khosru criticises CA’s lengthy election timeline

BNP senior leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Monday said the timeframe for the upcoming national election, as hinted by the Chief Adviser, is unnecessarily lengthy and not within their desired logical time. “The election period hinted at by the government has not been discussed with us.

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Amir Khosru criticises CA’s lengthy election timeline
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
Dec 23, 2024 22:13
Updated :
Dec 23, 2024 22:13

BNP senior leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Monday said the timeframe for the upcoming national election, as hinted by the Chief Adviser, is unnecessarily lengthy and not within their desired logical time.

“The election period hinted at by the government has not been discussed with us. We cannot understand why such a lengthy timeframe has been given,” he said while speaking to reporters after a meeting with the leaders of the Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), reports UNB.

As part of BNP’s efforts to consolidate unity and seek the opinions of its alliance partners, Khosru held a meeting with the NDM leaders at the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan in the evening.

The BNP leader said people are expressing various concerns over the government’s intention to hold the election after taking so much time in the name of reforms. “So, people are getting confused and finding various reasons… We told the government to arrange the election within a logical timeframe, but we’re not seeing it.”

The BNP leader said he discussed the country’s overall political situation, the election timeframe, reforms, and other related issues with the NDM leaders.

He said the Chief Adviser suddenly spoke about the election timeframe without consulting the political parties, despite having held meetings with them on various important issues. “We believe the most important issue now is the election, which the people of Bangladesh have been waiting for. But we’re not aware of the election timeframe,” Khosru said.

Regarding reforms, he said the government should have first completed the reforms in the country’s electoral system by the time. “We’re now supposed to head towards the election after completing the electoral reforms.”

The BNP leader said other reforms must be carried out in parliament by elected public representatives with the people’s mandate.

He said the government can only implement reforms on which political parties reach a consensus. “But where political consensus can’t be reached, those reforms will be implemented in parliament with the mandate of the people.”

The BNP leader also said it is unnecessary to buy time under the guise of reforms and reform commissions’ reports. “We are committed to the nation to implement our 31-point reform proposal through a national government. There is no room for confusion on this matter.”

When asked whether the party has any plans to launch a movement to pressure the government to hold the elections promptly, Khosru said they want to follow the peaceful path of liberal democracy.

“There have been many clashes and conflicts in the past, which have badly affected the people of the country. So, we are trying to ensure that such conflicting politics never returns to Bangladesh. Our efforts will succeed only if the election is held as soon as possible,” he observed.

NDM Chairman Bobby Hajjaj said they, along with the BNP, want the government to present a clear roadmap for the election to promptly restore the people’s right to vote.

“There’s no reason to delay the election. No government can make any major decision without the mandate of the people. Therefore, we want the government to come up with a detailed and clear election roadmap,” he said.

Later, Khosru also held another meeting with a delegation from a faction of Gono Odhikar Parishad, led by Mia Moshiuzzaman.

Earlier on Saturday, the party began talks with political groups that had launched a simultaneous movement with it against the Awami League regime. These discussions included three separate meetings with the 12-Party Alliance, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, and the Labour Party.

On December 16, Chief Adviser Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus indicated that the 13th National Parliamentary Election might be scheduled for the end of 2025 or the first half of 2026.

A day later, his Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, clarified that the next general election could be expected to take place by June 30, 2026.

"He (CA) has provided a timeline. What could be a clearer roadmap than this? You can expect the election to be held by June 30, 2026. This is a clear roadmap," he said while briefing reporters at the Foreign Service Academy.​

 

[Saif]

Polls should be govt’s priority, not lowering of voting age

Emphasising the urgency of general elections, political party leaders cautioned against lowering the voting age. They argued that such a move could spark controversy and push back the polls date in the process.

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Polls should be govt’s priority, not lowering of voting age
Say leaders of several political parties

Photo: BSS

Emphasising the urgency of general elections, political party leaders cautioned against lowering the voting age. They argued that such a move could spark controversy and push back the polls date in the process.

On Friday, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus suggested a minimum voting age of 17 and expressed his willingness to accept such a proposal if it reflects popular consensus.

The next day, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir disapproved of this suggestion, saying that it had sparked controversy and raised concerns about delays in the polls.

People will now be worried about a potential delay in elections as preparation of the voter list will require more time if the voting age is lowered, he said while speaking at an event in the capital.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Spokesperson Advocate Matiur Rahman Akanda told this newspaper yesterday that the party believes that the minimum voting age should align with international standards while also taking into account the maturity of young citizens.

Also while speaking to this newspaper, Ruhin Hossain Prince, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, said the chief adviser's suggestion of 17 as the suitable voting age becomes effectively binding, influencing the Election Commission's decision-making process.

Expressing the same sentiment, Razekuzzaman Ratan, assistant general secretary of Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, said lowering the voting age to 17 is "unnecessary".

This has broader implications related to citizens' rights, which could invite further complications in the process, he added.

As of yet, no official proposals have been submitted to the Election Reform Commission regarding lowering the voting age, said sources.

According to Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, head of the Election Reform Commission, the matter of determining the minimum voting age falls within the jurisdiction of the Constitution Reform Commission.

When contacted, Prof Ali Riaz, head of the Constitution Reform Commission, said the commission has received multiple proposals for both lowering the voting age to 17 and keeping the existing minimum age of 18.

"We are considering all the proposals that we have received. Our decision regarding this particular matter will be reflected in our draft proposals scheduled to be submitted on January 7."

According to EC officials, around 25 lakh voters will be added if the voting age is lowered to 17.

They said there are both upsides and downsides to lowering the voting age to 17.

On the one hand, the decision would increase democratic participation by allowing more young people to engage in the political process. While, on the other hand, a 17-year-old might not possess the necessary experience to make informed political decisions, they added.

Furthermore, several EC officials also pointed out that if the voting age is lowered, then changes will need to be made to the constitution, the Electoral Rolls Act, 2009, and the Children Act, 2013.

According to the constitution, the elections to Parliament shall be on the basis of adult franchise, and a person shall be entitled to be enrolled on the electoral roll if that person is not less than 18 years of age.

The Electoral Rolls Act, 2009 also says that a person shall be entitled to be enrolled on the electoral roll if they are not less than 18 years of age.

The Children Act of 2013 in Bangladesh defines a child as anyone under the age of 18.

According to the Unicef website, in around 90 percent of countries and territories, the voting age is 18 or above.

Today, countries and territories where children aged 16 and or 17 are allowed to vote in all elections include Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Guernsey, Greece, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Jersey, Nicaragua, North Korea, and Timor-Leste.

Some countries and territories allow 16- or 17-year-olds to vote in at least some elections, such as local or state elections, as in Estonia, Germany, Israel, Puerto Rico, Scotland, and Wales. Children aged 16 in Belgium, Austria, Germany, and Malta, and those aged 17 in Greece, are allowed to vote in European elections.​