Will follow timeline set by govt for holding polls: Bangladesh EC

Dhaka: Bangladesh Election Commission said on Sunday that it will hold general elections on the timeline set by the interim government, asserting its commitment to free and fair polls.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin made the remarks during an event where the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) handed over technical equipment needed to update the voter lists, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

The Election Commission received 175 laptops, 200 scanners and 4,300 bags for data collection from the UNDP.

“We’re focusing on the timeframe announced by the honourable chief advisor and working towards it,” the CEC was quoted as saying by the bdnews24 news portal.

Last month, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said the next general election in the country could take place by the end of 2025 or the first half of 2026. He had, however, said the timing of the election would largely depend upon the political consensus and the extent of the reforms that must be carried out before it.

Nasir Uddin's comments came days after former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) demanded that the general election be held by July or August of this year.

When asked about it, the CEC underscored that the polls body does not wish to get involved in politics, and added that the voter list update would need six months.

“We don’t want to comment on political statements. We’ll follow the law, rules and the system,” the report quoted him as saying.

Asserting that the country's people expect free, fair and impartial elections, Nasir Uddin said the commission is committed to fulfilling the expectation. He said that the voter list update process would be carried out with transparency, according to the report.

Speaking at the event, UNDP Resident Representative Steffen Liller said that discussions would take place with political parties and other stakeholders to determine how cooperation could be best organised.