Bangladesh: Election Commission begins talks with stakeholders ahead of polls

Dhaka, Sep 28 (IANS) Ahead of the next general election in Bangladesh, planned to be held in February next year, the Election Commission on Sunday began a series of talks with various stakeholders, local media reported.

The dialogue with the members of the civil society, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, began at around 10:40 a.m. (local time) at Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka's Agargaon area, United News of Bangladesh reported.

Election commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Tahmida Ahmad, Md Anwarul Islam Sarker and Brig Gen (retd) Abdul Fazal Md Sanaullah and EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed attended the meeting.

Later in the day, the Election Commission will hold a dialogue with eminent educationists and professors at the same place. The talks with the stakeholders are being broadcast live on the Election Commission's YouTube channel and its official Facebook page.

At the time of unveiling of the electoral roadmap in August, the commission announced that the talks with stakeholders, including political parties, media persons, civil society members, observers, election experts and July movement activists, would start in the last week of September and would conclude within one and a half months.

On Saturday, the Chief Election Commissioner said that the Election Commission is facing significant challenges working in the current situation in the country.

Addressing the Election Officers' Conference-2025 at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka, Nasir Uddin said that while preparing for the next year's general elections and addressing various demands, the EC is encountering numerous direct and indirect obstacles.

"Working in Bangladesh is very difficult. Particularly in the situation the country is going through, getting work done is very convenient for some people, but difficult for most people. The country is now in this situation," Bangladesh's leading Bengali daily Prothom Alo quoted the CEC as saying.

Nasir Uddin also assured that the EC will neither issue unlawful instructions to its officials nor ask them to favour any party in the February 2026 elections.

"We will issue instructions, but no illegal instruction will ever be given. We will not give instructions to favour anyone or to work on behalf of anyone. Our instructions will be strictly in line with the rules and laws for doing the right work in the right way," he added.

Bangladesh has been gripped by uncertainty and political conflicts ahead of the next general elections.

The political parties that earlier collaborated with interim chief adviser Muhammad Yunus to overthrow the democratically elected Awami League government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are now at loggerheads over reform proposals.

--IANS

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