 Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah disclosed the decision following the EC’s 10th commission meeting on 7 December. He said the extension distributes the additional hour evenly—half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the afternoon—given the increased workload of administering two elections at once.){kind=link}
The Election Commission (EC) has decided to extend voting hours by one hour for the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election, which will be held simultaneously with the national referendum. Traditionally, polling runs from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, but this time ballots will be cast from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Election Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah disclosed the decision following the EC’s 10th commission meeting on 7 December. He said the extension distributes the additional hour evenly—half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the afternoon—given the increased workload of administering two elections at once.
Schedule announcement this week
The Election Commissioner confirmed that the election schedule will be announced any day within the week of December 8–15. Before the formal announcement, the Commission will meet with the President.
He said the EC has nearly completed preparations for both the National Election and the “historic” referendum. Pre-schedule and post-schedule tasks are being finalized in line with legal and procedural requirements. A letter will be sent to Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television to record the Chief Election Commissioner’s address to the nation.
Law enforcement deployment circular this week
Sanaullah said the EC will issue a circular this week outlining the deployment plan for law enforcement agencies. Following this, the Home Ministry will prepare a detailed operational strategy to ensure security at polling centres.
A Central Monitoring Cell will also be set up at the EC, with representatives from all relevant agencies. This unit will coordinate actions and address misinformation and disinformation during the election period. While different agencies have their own internal mechanisms to counter false information, the EC intends to supervise the process centrally.
Ballots to reach polling centres the night before
As in previous elections, ballot papers and election materials will be delivered to polling stations the night before voting.
Sanaullah said the EC has reviewed experiences from mock voting exercises and field-level feedback from previous elections. Owing to the simultaneous voting for parliament and the referendum, the EC will adopt additional measures, including setting up secret booths in centres with high voter volume.
Private bank officials not to serve as presiding officers
The EC will not appoint officials of private banks as presiding or assistant presiding officers for now. They will be listed as reserve staff and will be called only if absolutely necessary.
Officials from government, semi-government, autonomous, semi-autonomous bodies, and state-owned banks will be given priority for election duties.
Campaign materials must be removed within 48 hours
All campaign posters, banners and other materials must be removed within 48 hours of the announcement of the election schedule. Failure to comply will result in legal action under the electoral code of conduct.
Three hundred Electoral Inquiry Committees will operate during the election to investigate complaints and, where necessary, conduct trials. Judicial and executive magistrates will also be on duty. Two executive magistrates will be assigned to each upazila or police station from the day after the schedule announcement. Their numbers will increase in the final days before the election, including election day and the day after.
Sanaullah added that a circular will be issued regarding the prohibition of distributing grants, relief, or benefits in electoral areas during the campaign period. However, existing social safety net allowances, such as old-age allowances, will remain unaffected.
Postal ballots for expatriates to be sent from Tuesday
The EC will begin dispatching postal ballots to expatriate voters starting Tuesday. Separate ballot papers in two different colours will be used—one for the referendum and one for the parliamentary election.
The printing of ballots for overseas voters will begin immediately. Within the country, three groups—persons in legal custody, election officials on duty, and government employees—may apply for postal voting for 15 days following the schedule announcement. After registration closes, postal ballots will be sent to eligible voters.