Voting for the 13th parliamentary election on February 12

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin announced the schedule for the 13th parliamentary election through a pre-recorded speech on Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar on Thursday (December 11).

Earlier, on December 9, the Chief Election Commissioner had said that the schedule for the upcoming parliamentary elections could be announced this week. He told reporters after meeting Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed that day.

Before the schedule was announced, a private meeting was held between them for about an hour at the Chief Justice's private office on various election issues. In addition, the Election Commission met the President at 12:30 pm on Wednesday. After the meeting with the President, the schedule-related speech was recorded at 4 pm.

Election Commissioner Md. Anwarul Islam Sarkar said that the format of the seats, the notification of the returning officers and assistant returning officers who will be there according to the law, and about 20 circulars will be issued on various issues. Mobile courts, appointment of magistrates, appointment of electoral inquiry committees, appointment of judicial magistrates, formation of monitoring cells, formation of law and order cells - these formats are also ready.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahman Masud said that it is not the responsibility of the EC to control the law and order situation before the announcement of the schedule. The responsibility of creating equal opportunities for all will officially come after the announcement of the schedule. The final postal ballot will not have the symbol of any banned or suspended party. After the announcement of the schedule, special importance will be given to the cooperation of everyone, including political parties.

EC officials said that the Election Commission wants to keep at least a week's time before Ramadan after the voting. Because, there is a plan to complete the voting within a week in the centers or constituencies where voting will be closed or postponed due to irregularities, fights or violence on the polling day. In addition, the party that gets the majority after the publication of the election gazette may take a week to form the government. The EC also wants to keep that opportunity so that it is possible before Ramadan.

Incidentally, 12 parliamentary elections have been held since the country's independence. In these elections, the Awami League won 6 times, the BNP four times, and the Jatiya Party twice, forming the government. The Awami League won the first, seventh, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth parliamentary elections; the BNP won the second, fifth, sixth, and eighth parliamentary elections; and the Jatiya Party won the third and fourth parliamentary elections.

Although the term of the parliament is five years, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and twelfth parliaments could not complete their terms due to various reasons including political instability. However, the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh parliaments have completed their terms.