Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed has said that the date and schedule for the presidential election have not yet been finalized, adding that the Election Commission will announce the election schedule after receiving the electoral roll from the Parliament Secretariat.

He made the remarks while speaking to journalists at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Monday (August 3).

“We have requested the voter list from the Parliament Secretariat, but have not yet received it. The schedule for the presidential election will be announced once the electoral roll is available,” Akhtar Ahmed said.

Preparations for Local Government Polls
The EC secretary said proposals have been prepared to amend the code of conduct and relevant laws governing local government elections. The proposed amendments include provisions relating to dual citizenship and loan defaulters. The draft will be sent to the Ministry of Law and the Local Government Division for further consideration.

He noted that there is usually a 45-day gap between the announcement of the election schedule and polling day. The timeline is determined through backward planning to allow sufficient time for updating the voter list and completing other election preparations.

According to him, the Election Commission already has the necessary equipment and polling infrastructure in place. If required, the cut-off date for updating the voter list may also be extended.

Caution Over NID Corrections
Regarding corrections to the National Identity (NID) card, Akhtar Ahmed said no final Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has yet been approved.

He explained that many requests for age correction reveal inconsistencies. In some cases, the age claimed by applicants would imply that they had become registered voters at the age of seven or eight, which is legally impossible.

He also said that instances of identity fraud—where one person’s photograph and information are used to register another individual as a voter—have been detected. Therefore, consistency between NID records, birth registration, and passport information is essential.

38 Political Parties Submit Audit Reports

The EC secretary also said the deadline for registered political parties to submit their annual audit reports was July 31. Since that date fell on a public holiday, the commission accepted reports until August 2.

Of the 59 registered political parties, 38 submitted their audit reports within the extended deadline, while 13 requested additional time. The remaining eight parties did not respond.

He said the Election Commission will issue legal notices to the parties that failed to submit their reports or communicate with the commission, in accordance with the relevant laws.