Preparations for the 13th National Parliamentary Election are now moving at a rapid pace. After completing overall preparations, the Election Commission (EC) is waiting to announce the official election schedule. As per established protocol, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) will meet President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban on December 10 ahead of the schedule announcement.
Prior to that, the EC is also scheduled to meet Chief Justice Syed Refat Ahmed on December 9. If everything goes as planned, the CEC will announce the election schedule on December 11 through a nationwide address.
According to reliable sources, considering all factors and ensuring that the election is held before Ramadan, the EC is preparing to conduct the national parliamentary election and a referendum on February 12. This will be the first time in the country’s history that a parliamentary election and a referendum will be held on the same day. Voters will receive two separate ballots of different colors.

Final Decisions to Be Taken in Today’s Commission Meeting
At an important meeting of the Election Commission today (Sunday), discussions will be held on the election schedule along with 10 key agenda items. These include:
• Date and time of voting
• Submission, scrutiny, and withdrawal of nomination papers
• Extension of voting hours
• Management of postal ballots
• Appointment of Returning Officers
The final structure of the election schedule will be determined at this meeting.
Voting Hours to Be Extended, Increase in Booths and Secrecy Chambers/
As voters will require additional time to cast ballots on two ballot papers, the EC is planning to extend voting hours to 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, moving the start time half an hour earlier and extending the closing time by half an hour.
At the same time, the number of voting rooms and secrecy chambers will also be increased. However, a final decision on increasing the number of polling centers has not yet been made.
Probable Draft Election Schedule/
According to EC sources, the draft schedule includes:
• December 11 – Announcement of the election schedule
• December 25 – Last date for submission of nomination papers
• December 26–30 – Scrutiny of nominations
• December 31 – January 4 – Appeal period
• January 5–10 – Disposal of appeals
• January 11–12 – Withdrawal of candidacy
• January 13 – Allocation of electoral symbols
• February 12 – Polling day
BNP Preparations and the Tarique Rahman Issue/
With the election approaching, the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are busy finalizing their candidates and resolving seat-sharing arrangements.
At the same time, the illness of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has become the central topic of political discussion, resulting in some slowdown in BNP’s campaign activities. Meanwhile, political debate over the return of Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman to the country has intensified. It is widely believed that Bangladesh is currently at a crucial crossroads of democracy. If Tarique Rahman returns, the enthusiasm surrounding the election will multiply, and any conspiracy to derail the election will be completely foiled.
Postal Voting and Expatriate Voters
The EC has taken the initiative to print 500,000 postal ballots for expatriate voters. More than 200,000 overseas voters have already applied.
Voters, government employees, and voters in legal custody will be able to register for postal voting through the BD App until December 25.
Massive Voter Turnout and Polling Infrastructure/
A total of 127,695,183 voters will cast their votes in the upcoming election.
Voting will take place at:
• 42,766 polling centers
• 245,195 polling booths
A total of 255.4 million ballot papers will be printed.
Growing International Scrutiny/
The United States, European Union (EU), and the Commonwealth have already announced that they will observe the election. A pre-election observer team is also expected to arrive in Bangladesh soon. According to diplomatic circles, due to Bangladesh’s growing importance in the current geopolitical landscape, the international community is closely monitoring this election.