Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
The Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh on Thursday unveiled its roadmap for the 13th parliamentary election, scheduled for the first half of February next year, with the official poll schedule to be announced in early December.
Senior EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, while addressing a press conference at the EC headquarters in Dhaka’s Agargaon, said the plan identifies 24 priority areas, including finalisation of constituency boundaries, updating voter lists, political party registration, and accreditation of election observers. “The election schedule will be announced in the first half of December and the election will be held in the first half of February,” he said.
According to the roadmap, the registration of new political parties will be completed by 14 September, with the final gazette published by 30 September. Parliamentary constituency delimitation will be finalised by 15 September, with GIS-based maps due by 30 September. The EC will hold dialogues with registered political parties, civil society, academics, women’s representatives, observers and journalists in the last week of September. The final voter list will be published on 30 November, while the final list of polling stations will be out on 5 October. Local observer registration will close on 15 November, with international observers and journalists also receiving clearance by the same date. The election budget will be finalised on 15 November, followed by inter-ministerial meetings on security and fund allocations later that month.
Preparations for postal ballots, including those for prisoners and expatriates, will be completed by January 2026. Transparent ballot papers will be ready by 30 November, with all election materials distributed by 31 December. The EC also plans to intensify awareness campaigns and ensure uninterrupted telecommunications for result transmission. Work on five key laws— including the Representation of the People Order 1972 and the Political Parties and Candidates’ Code of Conduct— will be completed by 30 September.