The Election Commission is ramping up preparations for the 13th parliamentary election, set for early February 2026, with a tougher stance on the electoral code of conduct this time around.
The official poll schedule is expected in early December, with voting likely to follow in the first half of February.
The election will be held with enough time in hand so that the new government can take oath before the start of Ramadan,” said Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah.
In a formal letter, Principal Secretary to the Chief Adviser M Siraj Uddin Mia urged the Election Commission to take all necessary steps to ensure a free, fair, peaceful, and timely national election of the highest standard.
With only four months left until December, improving law and order to ensure a favourable election environment, a level playing field, and public trust has become a top priority.
The procurement of election materials, including stamp pads, official and marking seals, brass seals, indelible ink pens, various bags, and ballot boxes, is targeted for completion by 30 September, with tenders already issued.
Meanwhile, delimitation of constituencies has been completed transparently, with hearings concluding. Political party registration verification is ongoing, followed by a 15-day objection period for those meeting the criteria.
During its ninth meeting on Thursday, the EC approved the 2025 Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates.
Additionally, the commission has decided to publish a new draft voter list before the parliamentary election, allowing young voters who turn 18 by 31 October to participate.
Election Commissioner Sanaullah confirmed that expatriates will vote via postal ballots in this election.
The commission reviewed the postal voting and registration process, delegating full oversight to the postal department.
On the EC’s initiative for prisoners, alongside expatriates and government officials, Sanaullah said, “Our team consulted prison authorities, who confirmed there are approximately 71 prisons. They will grant us access, raise awareness among inmates, and assist them in casting their votes.”
This election, the EC is rolling out an advanced online registration system for all voters.
Simultaneously, the commission is exploring the possibility of extending postal ballots to journalists, hospital patients, and essential government workers.
Meanwhile, the election code bans AI use in campaigns and harmful and misleading content, including hate speech, fake information, deepfakes, and exploitation of religious or ethnic sentiments, requires verification of social media content, restricts campaigning 48 hours before voting, limits microphone use to 2–8pm with a maximum of three devices per candidate, and caps noise levels at 60 decibels.
Election Commissioner Sanaullah said, “Misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation are the problems we’ve addressed in the code. Remember, it applies only to candidates and political parties, but AI use extends beyond them, with many organisations also involved.”
Regarding AI use, he said, “It will come from both inside and outside the country. We’ve formed a committee to address this without disrupting services or reducing bandwidth. Currently, there’s no plan to limit any service or platform.”
When asked about drone use, he stated that no candidate, agent, or any other person will be permitted to operate drones, quadcopters, or similar devices.
The upcoming election will involve around 47,000 polling centres and over 200,000 polling booths.
To prepare, the Directorate of Primary Education has sent letters to government primary schools seeking details on renovation needs for those designated as polling centres.
Courtesy: Daily Sun.
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