Staff Reporter :The Election Commission (EC) is likely to announce the schedule for polls to some 245 municipalities next week as part of completing the municipal elections between December 20 and 24.Talking to reporters at the EC Secretariat on Wednesday, Election Commissioner Mohammad Jabed Ali disclosed the EC’s desire to hold the municipal polls in the third week of December. Jabed Ali said, they prefer the time because the voter list revising work is scheduled to begin on January 2 and the SSC examination in February. “If voting in any polling centre is stayed, re-election can be held within December,” he added.According to the election commissioner, the election schedule for the municipal elections is likely to be announced in the next week. The EC will have to change some relevant rules and code of conduct before arranging the municipal polls, as the Local Government (Municipality) Act, 2009 has been amended to hold the municipal polls on party-basis.The EC Secretariat sources said that the commission on Wednesday sent the draft of the rules and the code of conduct to the Law Ministry for vetting. The government has issued an ordinance on amendments to the electoral law, clearing hurdles to municipal polls being organised on party lines. The Cabinet on October 12 approved the drafts of the amendments. The EC officials said that they had already received the gazette of the ordinance.More than 270 municipalities, out of the country’s 317, are going to complete their five-year tenures by March next. The last elections to 261 municipalities were held in four phases from 12-18 January in 2011.As per section 20 of the Local Government (Municipality) Act, 2009, new elections must be held in a municipality within the last 90 days before the expiry of its tenure.
