United News of Bangladesh

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has said the February 12 general elections would set a benchmark for all future polls in Bangladesh, stressing the government is fully prepared to hold 'free, fair, and transparent' elections. He said the European Union would deploy a large number of election observers and expressed hope that other development partners would also send observers to monitor the polls. “It will be a festive election. It will set the standard for good elections in the future. Let’s keep our fingers crossed,” the Chief Adviser said when the newly appointed US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Brent Christensen, paid his maiden courtesy call on the Chief Adviser at the State Guest House Jamuna on Thursday. During the meeting, the two sides discussed a wide range of issues, including the upcoming general elections, sweeping labour laws approved by the Interim Government, the planned Bangladesh-US tariff agreement and Rohingya crisis. The Chief Advisor also highlighted key foreign policy initiatives of the Interim Government including Dhaka’s planned bid for ASEAN membership, and the need to revive SAARC as a key platform for regional and economic cooperation in South Asia. Ambassador Christensen, who arrived in Bangladesh earlier this month, said he was looking forward to working with whoever wins the February elections, said the Chief Adviser’s press wing on Friday. The US envoy praised the Interim Government’s efforts to implement vital reforms and commended Professor Yunus’s leadership over the past 18 months.

The Election Commission has rolled out a fresh action plan (roadmap) to smoothly hold the upcoming national election and referendum scheduled for February 12 next. The Commission sent the action plan and implementation progress (of the old action plan) to all the divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and all the EC officials and asked them to take necessary measures accordingly. According to the action plan, the collection of information related to withdrawal of candidacies on January 20, while formation of the vigilance and observation teams, election monitoring teams and the law and order maintenance cell on January 20, sending the lists of polling stations to BG press to publish the lists on January 22 and giving the order to the BG press to print the ballot papers on January 25. Read More: Fresh election schedule declared for Pabna-1, Pabna-2 The presiding officers, assistant presiding officers, polling officers and the master trainers of polling agents will be trained on January 21 and 22. On the voting day (Feb 12), the EC will collect reporters on the balloting situation and primary results and publish the primary result of elections on the website as per the action plan. Two days after the balloting, the Commission will send the names and addresses of elected persons to BG Press for publishing theses in gazettes. The gazettes will be collected from the BG press and the final election results will be published on the website three days after the voting day. Read More: EC so far clears path for 275 to contest Feb-12 election On August 28 last year, the Election Commission unveiled the electoral action plan setting timelines to complete all necessary measures to arrange the 13th parliamentary election before Ramadan in February 2026. In the action plan, timeframes were set for different election preparatory works like preparation of the electoral rolls, registration of new political parties, delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, updating the guidelines for observers and journalists, printing of election manual, directives, poster and identity cards, carrying out training activities, making translucent ballot boxes and election materials ready, preparation of election budget, installation of polling stations, law and order related issues, and announcement of election results.

The Election Commission has so far cleared the way for 275 candidates in the past five days of hearing as 72 regained candidacies on Wednesday to run in the upcoming national election scheduled for February 12 next. Besides, 78 other invalid aspirants failed to return to the race as the EC chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin rejected their appeal petitions in the four days. On Wednesday, a total of 100 petitions were placed for hearing in the Electoral Appeal Tribunal (EC). “Upon hearing the appeals, the Commission granted 73 petitions, rejected 17 others and kept the rest 10 petitions pending to be settled later,” said EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed briefing reporters on Wednesday evening. Read More: EC bars polls to all bodies, associations before Feb. 12 elections done With the EC’s decisions, 72 previous invalid candidates returned to the electoral race, while several previously valid candidates lost candidature as appeal filed against her was accepted. The Commission so far heard 380 petitions (in the last five days) and is supposed to hear another 100 petitions on Thursday to complete the hearing and disposal of 645 petitions by January 18, said the EC Secretary. On Wednesday, four appeals against the validity of nomination papers were heard. Among these, the EC rejected an appeal petition filed challenging the validity of BNP nominated candidate for Cumilla-6 Monirul Haque Chowdhury, keeping the candidacy valid to contest in the 13th parliamentary election. BNP candidate for Cumilla-6 to remain valid Independent candidate and BNP leader Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid for Cumilla-6 filed a petition with the EC, which is the Electoral Appeal Tribunal, against the acceptance of the nomination paper of Monirul Haque during the scrutiny. In the petition, former MP Amin Ur Rashid alleged that Monirul Haque concealed the information of bank loans and wife’s assets in the affidavit filed with the nomination paper. During the petition, the Election Commission, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, declared that the nomination paper of Monirul Haque to remain valid. Fate of BNP candidate for Dinajpur-5 to be settled Jan 17 Read More: EC hearings reopen race for 41 more election candidates The Commission kept another appeal petition against the validity of the nomination paper of BNP candidate for Rajshahi-5 AKM Kamruzzaman pending to be settled on January 17. Independent candidate for the same constituency AZM Rezwanul Haque filed the petition challenging the acceptance of Kamruzzaman’s nomination paper by the returning officer. In the petition, the appellant claimed the BNP candidate has dual citizenship as he didn’t place any document to prove that he gave up British citizenship. Kamruzzaman ‘s counselor and senior lawyer Ruhul Kuddus Kajal told reporters that the BNP candidate gave up British citizenship which was announced in the affidavit submitted with the nomination paper. There is no scope in the constitution to bar AKM Kamruzzaman from contesting the election on this ground, he said. Besides, an appeal filed by BNP candidate for Cumilla-2 Selim Bhuyan against the validity of independent candidate Abdul Matin, but the Commission turned down his petition. With the EC’s decision, the candidacy of Abdul Matin would remain valid. However, the EC granted an appeal filed by Jatiya Party candidate for Kurigram-4 KM Mandal against the validity of Bangladesh Supreme Party candidate Shefali Begum. So, Shefali Begum lost her candidature in Kurigram-4. A total of 2,568 aspirants submitted nomination papers to run the upcoming national election from the country’s 300 constituencies within the December-29 deadline. The returning officers declared 1,842 nomination papers valid, while 723 others invalid during the scrutiny.