Election on 12 February!

Interim Government Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus may announce the schedule for the 13th National Parliamentary Election in a speech to the nation today, 5 August, marking the anniversary of Sheikh Hasina's government's fall following the student-people's mass uprising.

At 5 PM, he will also read the "July Declaration" at the South Plaza of the National Parliament.

Multiple government sources indicate that there are plans for the Chief Adviser to announce the election timeline in his national address either on 5 August or on 8 August, the anniversary of the formation of the interim government.

However, the Chief Adviser is reportedly less interested in emphasizing the government's formation date, making 5 August the more likely date for the announcement.

Sources further suggest that he may declare, “The national election will be held in February next year.” The Election Commission (EC) will later announce the detailed election schedule, including the exact voting date, as per its jurisdiction.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud told Kaler Kantho yesterday that if the election is held in February, it could take place in the first half of the month, before the start of Ramadan. Typically, the election schedule (timetable) is announced 50 to 60 days before voting. Thus, the schedule could be announced in December.

Regarding the EC’s preparedness, he stated, “Preparations are ongoing. There will be no problems in holding the election in February.” He added that some amendments to the "Representation of the People Order, 1972" are required and the draft may be finalized in the EC's upcoming meeting. Necessary steps have been taken by the interim government to improve law and order.

An official from the EC Secretariat said Ramadan may begin on February 18 next year, so the election could be scheduled for 12 February (Thursday) or any date before that. The election schedule could thus be announced between 14 December and 24 December.

According to EC data

The 9th parliamentary election schedule was announced 56 days before voting.
The 10th election (uncontested) was announced 45 days prior.
The 11th election schedule was declared 51 days before.
The 12th (one-sided) election schedule was announced 52 days in advance.
The 5th parliamentary election in 1990 had its schedule announced 73 days ahead of voting.
Debates Over the Election Timeline
After a meeting with BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman in London on 13 June, a joint statement quoted the Chief Adviser as saying that if all preparations are complete, elections could be held a week before Ramadan in 2026. Previously, in a 6 June national address, the Chief Adviser mentioned that elections could be held on any day in the first half of April 2026.

However, BNP and its allies objected to this timeline. After further discussions with Tarique Rahman in London, it was indicated that this schedule might change.

On 6 July, the Home Affairs Adviser told reporters after visiting police installations in Uttara, Dhaka, that law enforcement is preparing for elections to be held in five to six months.

Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin also said on 8 July, after meeting with the Chief Adviser, “We are in full gear preparing for the election.”

Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman told Reuters in late September last year that elections could be held within the next 18 months. A February election would fall within that timeline.

Additionally, during a meeting with political parties on 26 July, the Chief Adviser said the exact election date would be announced soon. After the meeting, Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) Chairman and leader of the 12-party alliance, Mostafa Jamal Haider, told reporters, “The Chief Adviser has clearly stated that he will announce the exact election timeline within the next four to five days.”

On 9 July and 28 July, the Chief Adviser held meetings with law enforcement agencies to discuss election preparations and instructed them to finalize all preparations by December. The 28 July meeting discussed the deployment of law enforcement during the election, including the use of BGB or Army as striking forces. It was informed that there will be approximately 47,000 polling centers, with around 16,000 considered vulnerable. Instructions were given to install CCTV cameras and equip police with body cams to ensure peaceful voting in these centers. Discussions also included training judicial magistrates for election duty and deploying law enforcement for seven days before and after the election.

EC Secretary Outlines Preparation Status
An EU election observation team is expected to visit Bangladesh in mid-September to assess the election environment and preparations. The team will comprise three foreign and four local observers. EC Secretary Akhter Ahmed informed reporters of this on Monday and provided updates on the Commission’s preparations for the 13th National Parliamentary Election.

Regarding preparations, the Secretary said, “Announcing the election schedule is solely the EC’s jurisdiction. Whenever the EC decides, it will be announced. All our preparations are focused on the upcoming national election. Procurement activities will be completed by September. After that, there will be some final tasks which will be reviewed accordingly.”

He added, “We are working according to the timeline given by the Chief Adviser. The draft of the parliamentary constituency boundary re-demarcation has already been published, and objections or suggestions can be submitted until 10 August. Final boundaries will be determined by the end of August after hearings. Applications for registering election observation organizations have been invited, with the deadline set for 10 August. Ordinances amending the Boundary Law, Voter List Correction, Polling Center Guidelines, Local and Foreign Observer Guidelines, and Media Guidelines have been issued. The draft amendment of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) will be finalized in the EC meeting on Thursday. The Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates may also be finalized then. Efforts are being made to include technical measures in the code to prevent misuse of AI in campaigns.”

Procurement of all election materials is expected to be completed by 30 September. A project to enable expatriate voting via postal ballots is in the approval process, with an estimated cost of BDT 480 million. Formal approval from the Planning Commission is expected soon.

Regarding party registration, the Secretary informed that out of 51 registered parties, 30 have submitted their audit reports by the 31 July deadline. Fifteen parties have requested an extension, while five have yet to submit. One party is newly registered this year and is not required to submit this time. Out of 145 parties that applied for registration, 80 have submitted the required documents by 3 August following notices for missing information.