Staff Reporter:
The Election Commission on Thursday announced that the 13th national election and the referendum on the July Charter will be held on 12 February next year.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin announced the schedule in a televised address to the nation in the evening.
According to the schedule, the deadline for submitting nomination papers is 29 December this year, and the scrutiny of the papers will take place from 30 December to 4 January next year.
The deadline to file appeals against the Returning Officer’s orders is 6 January, and the last date to file appeals with the Election Commission is 11 January. The Commission will dispose of the appeals between 12 and 18 January.
Candidates may withdraw their nominations until 20 January 2026. The Returning Officer will publish the final list of candidates and allocate election symbols on 21 January. Election campaigning will commence on 22 January.
The balloting will be held from 7:30am to 4:30pm without any break on 12 February.
The EC finalised the schedule earlier this week, bringing months of speculation to an end.
A historic dual vote
For the first time in Bangladesh’s electoral history, a parliamentary election and referendum will be held on the same day.
The referendum will allow registered expatriate Bangladeshis to vote by post, and postal voting has also been introduced for the parliamentary polls.
To manage the increased workload, the EC is considering expanding the number of polling booths nationwide. Voting hours will also be extended by one hour – from 7:30am to 4:30pm – to accommodate the expected rise in voter traffic.
EC officials say that logistical preparations are essentially complete ahead of the timetable announcement.
On Wednesday, following long-standing tradition, the CEC and election commissioners visited Bangabhaban to brief President Md Shahabuddin on the EC’s preparations.
Commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud, Begum Tahmida Ahmad, Md Anwarul Islam Sarker, Brig Gen Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah (Retd), and EC Secretary Akhter Ahmed accompanied the CEC.
Political parties’ positions
More than fifty registered parties, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and the Nationalist Conservative Party (NCP), are eligible to contest the election.
Although the Jatiya Party faces no procedural obstacles, its leaders have stated they will decide on participation after assessing the political climate.
The ruling Awami League, however, will be unable to take part for the first time in its history due to the suspension of its party registration.
The party previously boycotted the fourth parliamentary election in 1988 and the sixth in 1996.
