United News of Bangladesh

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on Monday launched special hotline numbers to receive complaints and information related to the 13th Parliamentary Election and the referendum. Through the hotlines, citizens can promptly inform police about any violations of the electoral code of conduct or activities that may influence the election, said DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Talebur Rahman. 46 arrested in Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2 in 24 hours: DMP City residents have been requested to contact the following mobile numbers for immediate police intervention in election-related incidents: 013200373580132003735901320037360 The DMP also sought the sincere cooperation of city residents to help maintain law and order during the election.

A writ petition was filed with the High Court challenging the eligibility of BNP candidate of Dhaka-11 MA Quayum over allegations of dual citizenship and concealment of wealth information. National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam filed the writ petition with the HC bench concerned. It also sought a stay order on the candidacy of  Quayum. Advocate Zahirul Islam Musa who stood for the petitioner said the petition is expected to be heard this week. Earlier, the Election Commission declared the candidacy of Nahid and Quayum valid for Dhaka-11 constituency. Why Vanuatu’s ‘Golden Passport’ Programme Draws Global Interest Allegations have circulated on social media claiming that Qayum obtained citizenship of the Republic of Vanuatu and owns property there. However, Dr Qaiyum has rejected the allegations, describing them as completely false, fabricated and politically motivated. 

Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah on Sunday said there is no scope for irregularities in the expatriate voting process. “Live verification has been made mandatory and intelligence agency members will be deployed to ensure ballot security,” he said at a views exchange meeting with law enforcement cell and digital and observation teams at Barishal Circuit House in the morning. The Election Commissioner said ballots used for expatriate voters will carry a total of 119 symbols which may require comparatively more time for opening envelopes and counting votes accurately. He said only the presiding officer will be allowed to carry a pen inside the polling centre while all other officials and concerned personnel will use pencils. Sanaullah said 10 magistrates will be deployed in each constituency during voting and the commission is particularly alert to prevent irregularities through mobile financial services. He said several meetings have already been held to stop vote buying and selling and a specific transaction limit will be set to monitor financial dealings. Read more: Chhatra Dal protests Jamaat Ameer’s anti-women remarks on X He also instructed officials involved in election management to refrain from accepting any form of hospitality and stressed the need to counter misinformation and rumours by quickly delivering accurate and verified information to the public. He said necessary measures will be taken to ensure voting rights for elderly, disabled and injured voters, and CCTV cameras will be installed in all districts and every polling centre to ensure transparency. On election neutrality, Sanaullah said the Election Commission will maintain a firm stance on honesty and impartiality and  there will be no distinction between large and small parties. He warned that any official found showing bias despite clear instructions will face strict consequences and all election-related personnel must carry out their duties with firmness and that no leniency will be shown where irregularities occur. The meeting was chaired by Barishal District Returning Officer Khairul Alam Suman. Superintendent of Police Farzana Islam, among others, was present. Read more: Tarique’s campaign set to move to Khulna, Jashore on Monday The EC, headed by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, introduced the IT-supported hybrid postal balloting system with the combination of digital registration and manual balloting for the first time in the country for the expatriate Bangladeshis living in more than 120 foreign countries.

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman will campaign in Khulna and Jashore on Monday, following the completion of his electioneering in the northern region. Tarique will leave Dhaka for Khulna by helicopter at 11:00am on Monday, said BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan. He said the BNP chief is scheduled to join an election rally at 12:00 noon at the Prabhati School ground adjacent to Haji Mohsin College in Khulna. Tarique will then leave Khulna for Jashore by helicopter at 1:00pm, Sayrul said. He said the BNP chairman will address another election rally at 1:40pm at the Birampur Adarsha Government Primary School ground in the New Town area of Jashore. Tarique is expected to leave Jashore for Dhaka by helicopter at 2:40pm. The BNP chairman began his election campaign on January 22 from Sylhet Alia Madrasah ground. He later addressed election rallies in Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Narsingdi and Narayanganj. On January 25, he launched his Chattogram-region campaign and addressed rallies in Chattogram, Feni, Chauddagram of Cumilla, Suagazi, Daudkandi and Narayanganj. He started his northern-region tour on January 29. During the three-day tour, Tarique Rahman addressed election rallies in Rajshahi, Naogaon, Bogura, Rangpur, Sirajganj and Tangail before returning to Dhaka on Saturday. From January 22 to January 31, Tarique addressed a total of 19 election rallies across the country.

Some 458,000 Bangladesh expatriates have so far cast their voters through the postal ballots in the upcoming referendum and the national election scheduled for February 12 next. “As of 11:30am on Saturday (January 31), a total of 458,059 expatriate voters completed their voting process and of them, 410,928 ballot papers have been dropped in post offices and post boxes in different countries across the world,” said Brig Gen (retd) Saleem Ahmad Khan, Team Leader of the Election Commission’s OCV-ICPV project. He said a total of 766,862 postal ballots reached different destinations throughout the world for Out-of-Country Voting (OCV) and of them, 518,345 ballots have already been received by the registered expatriates in various countries. The Election Commission has already received as many as 144,860 returned ballots as of Saturday morning. Meanwhile, the Commission has sent some 518,603 ballots to different destinations under the In-Country Postal Voting (ICPV) since the distribution of the postal ballots started on Monday last. Among the ballots, only 7,367 ones have so far been received by the registered voters and 4,902 voters cast their votes. Of them, 2,394 ballots were dropped in the post boxes or post offices. The EC, headed by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, introduced the IT-supported hybrid postal balloting system with the combination of digital registration and manual balloting for the first time in the country for the expatriate Bangladeshis living in more than 120 foreign countries. The Commission also is using the new postal balloting system for the government employees working outside their respective constituencies, the polling personnel and the people under legal custody inside Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s Border Guard (BGB) has been instructed not to use lethal weapons while performing security duties during the country’s national election and referendum, senior officials have said. More than 37,000 BGB members will be deployed across the country to help maintain law and order during the polls, while continuing to safeguard Bangladesh’s 4,427-kilometre border, according to sources at BGB headquarters. Officials said the deployment is aimed at ensuring voters can cast their ballots in a safe and uninterrupted environment. The BGB will take part in election-related duties in 489 of the country’s 495 upazilas. In 61 upazilas located along the border, the force will operate independently in managing election security. Based on risk assessments, BGB personnel will be deployed as both mobile and static units across all 300 parliamentary constituencies, with between two and four platoons assigned to each upazila. To respond to any emergency during the election period, specialised units, including the Rapid Action Team (RAT), helicopter-supported Quick Response Force (QRF) and K-9 dog squads, will remain on standby. Talking to reporters on Saturday at the National Swimming Complex in Mirpur, Dhaka Sector Commander of BGB Colonel ASM Abul Ehsan said a clear directive from the BGB Director General prohibits the use of lethal weapons during election duties.

Six international organisations, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have agreed to deploy at least 63 observers for Bangladesh’s 13th general election and the referendum on the July National Charter, both scheduled for February. They will join observer missions from the European Union, 16 countries and 32 individuals affiliated with various global bodies, bringing the total number of confirmed international observers for the dual polls to 330 so far, said the Chief Adviser’s press wing on Saturday. The number of international observers confirmed for the upcoming election is more than double that of the controversial general election held on January 7, 2024. The number of international observers for the 12th, 11th, and 10th general elections stood at 158, 125, and four respectively. Shakir Mahmood Bandar, Head of the OIC Election Observation Unit, will lead the two-member OIC observer mission. Besides, 28 observers will arrive from the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), 25 from the Commonwealth Secretariat, seven from the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI), and one from the National Democratic Institute (NDI), also based in the United States. Thirty-two observers representing organisations such as Voice for Justice, Democracy International, SNAS Africa, the SAARC Human Rights Foundation, and the Polish Institute of International Affairs will monitor the election in their individual capacities, according to information received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Election Commission. 16 countries to send 57 observers for Feb 12 election “We expect the number of international observers to increase, as several countries invited to send observer missions have yet to confirm the names of their delegates,” said Senior Secretary and SDG Coordinator Lamiya Murshed, who is overseeing coordination of the international observer visits. The invited countries yet to confirm their delegates include India, Nepal, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, and Romania. Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) is also expected to name its delegates soon. Nearly 2,000 candidates, representing more than 50 political parties as well as independent contenders, are contesting the 300 parliamentary seats. The general election in Bangladesh will be held simultaneously with a referendum on the July National Charter.

Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Muhammad Sanaullah expressed optimism about the upcoming polls, saying he expects citizens to participate spontaneously and actively, reflecting the vibrancy of democracy. “There are only 12 days left for the election. I am very satisfied with the preparations for the Patuakhali election. I am optimistic about a beautiful and fair election,” he said while exchanging views with the Law and Order Cell and Vigilance Observation Team of Patuakhali District ahead of the National Election and Referendum on Friday. Sanaullah added that the election environment this year is significantly better than that of the last national polls. On the role of government employees during the referendum, he clarified: “Whatever is prohibited in the general election is also prohibited for the referendum. Government officials and employees cannot take sides or oppose it. Their role is limited to informing and raising awareness among the general public; they cannot advocate for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote.” The Election Commissioner also issued various directives to ensure that the upcoming National Election and Referendum are conducted in a free, fair, and impartial manner. The event was presided over by Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer Dr. Md Shahid Hossain Chowdhury.

At least 16 countries have accepted Bangladesh’s invitations to send a total of 57 election observers for the country’s 13th general election and the referendum on the July Charter, both scheduled to be held concurrently on February 12. These observers will join several hundred international observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth, and multiple global organisations promoting democratic governance and human rights, said the Chief Adviser’s press wing on Friday. Among bilateral delegations, Malaysia will send the largest contingent with 14 observers, followed by Türkiye, which is dispatching 12 observers. The Malaysian delegation will be led by Ramlan Bin Dato Harun, Chairman of the Election Commission of Malaysia. The Turkish delegation, comprising several members of parliament, will be led by Mehmet Vakur Erkul, a former Turkish ambassador to Bangladesh. Govt employees barred from campaigning for ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ in referendum: EC Other countries that have confirmed the deployment of election observers include Indonesia (5), Japan (4), Pakistan (3), Bhutan (2), Maldives (2), Sri Lanka (1), the Philippines (2), Jordan (2), Iran (1), Georgia (2), Russia (2), Kyrgyzstan (2), Uzbekistan (1), and South Africa (2). Most notable observers from these countries include Mohammad Jalal Sikandar Sultan, Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, and Deki Pema, Chief Election Commissioner of Bhutan. “We have received confirmation of close to 400 election observers so far, and we expect a few more countries to confirm the visits of their delegates very soon,” said Lamiya Morshed, Senior Secretary and SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator, who is supporting the coordination of election observers. Former President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo will lead the 14-member Commonwealth Observer Group, which includes Jeffrey Salim Waheed, former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives; David John Francis, former Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone; and Ras Adiba Mohd Radzi, former senator of Malaysia. The European Union Election Observation Mission (EOM) will be led by Ivars Ijabs, Chief Observer and Member of the European Parliament from Latvia. Election atmosphere to improve further with gradual presence of security forces: Shafiqul Alam The mission will also include at least seven other Members of the European Parliament: Lukas Mandl (Austria), Loránt Vincze (Romania), Tomáš Zdechovský (Czechia), Leire Pajín (Spain), Şerban Dimitrie Sturdza (Romania), Michael McNamara (Ireland), and Catarina Vieira (Netherlands). Nearly 2,000 candidates, including representatives from more than 50 political parties and independent contenders, are vying for 300 parliamentary seats. The election will be held simultaneously with a referendum on the July reform charter.

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday directed all printing presses to refrain from printing any kind of posters ahead of the upcoming referendum and the 13th parliamentary election scheduled for February 12. The directive was issued following reports of the use of banned posters in election campaigns in different areas. In a notification, the Commission said it has recently been observed that contesting candidates or persons on their behalf used posters during electioneering, which is a clear violation of Rule 7(a) of the Parliamentary Election Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates, 2025 and a punishable offence. “So, any registered political party, its nominated candidate, or the persons on their behalf shall conduct electioneering activities in violation of the electoral code of conduct,” the EC said. Election campaign: Code of conduct published in gazette, banning posters-drones, AI-social media misuse “The printing presses will have to abstain from printing any type of posters intended for election campaigns also,” it said. Earlier on December 11, the EC announced the schedule for holding the 13th parliamentary election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order simultaneously on February 12.