Staff Reporter :
Election Commission (EC) Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed has said that the 11th parliamentary election will be held in December this year.
“It will be final after the meeting with President. But now the EC has made a draft schedule where the possible date for election has been set in the last quarter of December,” he told reporters at the EC secretariat in Dhaka on Thursday.
He said, CEC and the four Commissioners will meet with the President on November 1. After that it will finalise the schedule.
The EC secretary also said the commission is determined to use EVMs (electronic voting machines) for the upcoming national polls.
“If the amendment to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) for the use of EVMs in the general election is not placed in Parliament, we will get the approval through an ordinance to be issued by the president,” the EC Secretary said.
On August 30, the commission approved RPO amendments to use EVMs in the election.
It sent the proposals about the amendment to the Law Ministry for vetting.
The proposals about RPO amendments will be placed in the Cabinet. From there, they will be sent to Parliament.
However, since the last session of the current parliament is going to end on Thursday there is no chance of the bill passing.
In that case after Cabinet approval, the proposed bill will be sent to the president. The president will then issue an ordinance.
Since their introduction in 2010, EVMs have thus far been used in different local government elections only.
Ruling Awami League is in favour of using EVMs for the national polls, by amending the RPO.
However, BNP and the left-leaning political parties have always opposed the idea, expressing concern that the machines could be used to rig the election.
Election Commission (EC) Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed has said that the 11th parliamentary election will be held in December this year.
“It will be final after the meeting with President. But now the EC has made a draft schedule where the possible date for election has been set in the last quarter of December,” he told reporters at the EC secretariat in Dhaka on Thursday.
He said, CEC and the four Commissioners will meet with the President on November 1. After that it will finalise the schedule.
The EC secretary also said the commission is determined to use EVMs (electronic voting machines) for the upcoming national polls.
“If the amendment to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) for the use of EVMs in the general election is not placed in Parliament, we will get the approval through an ordinance to be issued by the president,” the EC Secretary said.
On August 30, the commission approved RPO amendments to use EVMs in the election.
It sent the proposals about the amendment to the Law Ministry for vetting.
The proposals about RPO amendments will be placed in the Cabinet. From there, they will be sent to Parliament.
However, since the last session of the current parliament is going to end on Thursday there is no chance of the bill passing.
In that case after Cabinet approval, the proposed bill will be sent to the president. The president will then issue an ordinance.
Since their introduction in 2010, EVMs have thus far been used in different local government elections only.
Ruling Awami League is in favour of using EVMs for the national polls, by amending the RPO.
However, BNP and the left-leaning political parties have always opposed the idea, expressing concern that the machines could be used to rig the election.
