The Election Commission (EC) has to sit the big exam directly without any experience. The current EC, which has yet to hold an election, will hold a referendum on the 13th National Assembly and the July National Charter on the same day. This is the first time in the country’s history that the parliamentary elections and referendum are held on the same day.
The EC said preparations for the parliamentary elections in the first half of February next year are almost complete. The situation changed after the interim government directed to hold the referendum on the same day. Election experts say that the current commission may face various challenges with materials (logistics) for holding parliamentary elections and referendum on the same day. Completing all the preparations and completing the voting at the right time will also be a big challenge.
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin himself sees it as challenging to hold a referendum on the day of the parliamentary elections. However, sources of the commission say that it is challenging but not difficult. Preparations are being made for the parliamentary elections. Only ballot papers, ballot boxes and other materials should be arranged for the referendum. The polling station should be increased. Finishing the polls in time will also be a challenge. The EC will hold a mock (rehearsal) vote on November 29 to see if the two polls can be completed in a timely and orderly fashion.
The current EC led by AMM Nasir Uddin took over on November 24, 2024 after the fall of the Awami League government in the July mass coup. No stage election has been held yet under this commission. After the interim government announced the 13th parliamentary elections in the first half of next February, the EC started preparing for those elections. EC claims that the preparation is almost completed. By implementing the long-standing demand, the initiative has been taken to make the expatriate Bangladeshi voters this time. This vote will be taken through postal ballot. The EC is preparing to announce the election schedule in the first half of next month (December).
Meanwhile, on November 13, the chief adviser of the interim government. In the first half of February, Muhammad Yunus announced the holding of the national parliament election and July national charter referendum on the same day. A week after this announcement, the Cabinet Division sent a letter to the EC last Thursday to inform the EC of the government’s direction to hold the referendum.
EC senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed said that they are waiting for the relevant ordinance to hold parliamentary elections and referendum on the same day.
CEC AMM Nasir Uddin is finding it challenging to hold a referendum on polling day. After announcing the parliamentary election and referendum on the same day, he told reporters that no previous election commission had to deal with such a situation. The present Election Commission has not had to face so many challenges. He also sees AI (artificial intelligence) generated content as a challenge in this year’s polls.
However, EC Additional Secretary KM Ali Newaz told Ajker newspaper about the additional preparations for organizing the parliamentary elections and the referendum on the same day, ‘We have all preparations centered on the parliamentary elections. Now only additional ballot paper will be required for referendum. I have collected the paper for printing that ballot. There is no deficiency in the preparation of elections.’ He said that the work of the commission has increased due to organizing two votes at the same time. The main challenge is to complete the polls on time. Apart from this, ensuring discipline is also a challenge. For this they will organize a mock vote on November 29. Based on the results, the commission will decide whether the booth will be increased or what to do.
According to EC sources, this mock poll will be held in an educational institution near the election hall in Agargaon of the capital. The officers and employees who will perform their duties in the main poll will also be kept in the mock poll. There will be separate booths for men and women. Mock polls will also test the arrangements for the elderly, pregnant women and physically challenged persons in the polling booths. The election commissioners will go there and observe the polling, how long it takes to vote, whether there are any complications in voting twice.
EC officials said that the mock polling was planned to be held from 8 am to 4 pm, but this polling will be held from morning to noon. It is planned to have 500 voters in the female polling booth and 600 in the male polling booth in mock polling.
EC officials said, among the major preparations for the parliamentary elections, voter list with photos, collection of electoral materials, re-delimitation of parliamentary seats, registration of political parties, registration of domestic observer organizations, app for expatriates to vote in postal ballots have already been done. Recruitment and training of election officials is going on. Additional separate ballots will be printed from BG Press for the referendum.
The EC will also have to arrange additional ballot boxes as the parliamentary elections and referendum will be held on the same day. According to sources, EC currently has about 340,000 ballot boxes in its collection. Parliamentary elections generally require about 288,000 ballot boxes. Accordingly, there are more than 50 thousand ballot boxes extra. Increasing the number of booths from 40 to 42 thousand will not have an effect.
According to sources, a ballot box can hold as many as 1500 ballot papers. The parliamentary election ballot will be black and white as before. Green or pink ballots are being considered for the referendum. However, if the rules are correct, the commission will finalize it. The EC held a meeting with the postal department yesterday on Monday. The Commission has given instructions to the postal department that the ballot papers of Parliament and referendum with the same serial number should be kept together.
According to sources, the Deputy Commissioner will not be the recipient of postal ballots of expatriates. This ballot will come to the office of the person who will be in charge of the returning officer. The commission is thinking of appointing more than one returning officer in the districts which have more parliamentary seats.
In preparation for announcing the schedule, the EC will hold a meeting with the chiefs of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies on November 27 and with the secretaries and heads of various departments on November 30. In that meeting, the EC will give instructions to the concerned regarding the preparation of the polling stations, the formation of the panel of polling officers.
Election experts think that it will be very challenging for the election commission to organize the parliamentary elections and the referendum on the same day. Md. Abdul Alim. He told Ajkar newspaper that the first challenge is logistical. Two ballot boxes should be provided for two types of voting, two sets of ballot paper should be printed. The list of polling stations and polling booths should also be reviewed. Completing polls on time will also be a challenge for the EC.
Abdul Alim said, how much political parties will prioritize the referendum on election day is also a challenge for the EC. The commission has to change the current roadmap for the referendum and come up with a new plan. The Commission will also face challenges in taking expatriate votes without piloting.
