Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin has said that deposed PM Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League may contest elections unless the government or the judiciary issues a ban against the party.
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) said in a meeting with election officials at the Chittagong Circuit House on Monday, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. Nasir Uddin also ensured that the Election Commission is independent and faces no external pressure. He added, “We are committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure a fair and transparent election.”
The CEC also admitted the problem of fake voters in earlier elections and led to a decline in voter registration and caused mistrust in the voting process. He declared plans to start a voter list update soon to tackle these concerns.
He said, “The voter list will be updated within the next six months.This time, elections will not follow past patterns. Since August 5, there has been marked progress in nurturing national consensus on electoral matters.”
In the meeting, the CEC gave detailed guidelines on voter list updates and preparations for the upcoming national election.
A few days ago, former PM Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party stated that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s recommendation to set the minimum voting age at 17 would put pressure on the Election Commission to delay the election process.
During his Victory Day speech on December 16, Yunus indicated that elections might be held by early 2026. He said, “Broadly speaking, the election can be scheduled between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026.” And he added that the elections would be held after updating the vote’s list.
