Election Commissioner Md Alamgir has said the atmosphere surrounding the 12th national parliamentary election is favourable, and the schedule for the polls will be disclosed in November.
He was responding to questions from journalists at Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Sunday.
"The election schedule will be announced keeping 45 days in hand. However, the exact week is yet to be discussed."
Responding to inquiries about the readiness for voting, he said: "According to the constitution, we assess that everything is in order.
"The Election Commission is constitutionally bound to conduct elections within 90 days before the expiration of the current parliament. We are diligently executing all necessary activities within the designated timeframe."
Regarding foreign observers, Alamgir said: "We have initiated efforts to facilitate the participation of observers from abroad. We are coordinating their visits with various government organizations. We plan to invite 30-35 individuals from Saarc countries and the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA). The expenses of these observers will be covered by us. For other foreign observers, approval will be granted on a case-by-case basis."
When asked about polling through ballot papers, this former EC secretary said: "A final decision on this matter has not been taken yet. However, there have been discussions on sending ballot papers in the morning where feasible. In cases where morning delivery is not possible, they will be sent the day before. The decision will be made as part of the official schedule."
In response to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal's statement on arrests after the schedule announcement, Md Alamgir said: "The context of the CEC's statement on political cases was misinterpreted. What he intended to convey is that after the announcement of the schedule, political harassment should be avoided. If there are valid charges against an individual, if there are arrestable offences, the court can issue warrants for arrest.”
“However, if someone is arrested without prior charges or without committing any criminal offence before it, the Election Commission will scrutinize the situation. Any recommendations or statements from the commission will be communicated to the government accordingly."
The election commissioner said: "Existing criminal cases over offences such as theft, robbery, murder and fights were already present. Our objective in announcing the schedule is to prevent such incidents from occurring. The CEC has made a request in this regard."
He clarified the Election Commission's role stating: "We are not involved in law enforcement activities or policing. We cannot comment on the ground-level situations. Our focus is on ensuring there are no politically motivated cases during the elections. If there are criminal charges against anyone, the question raised is: why were these individuals not arrested before the schedule? If we observe that arrests are being made after the announcement, despite no prior actions, we will recommend that these actions be taken after the election results are declared."
Regarding the meeting with deputy commissioners (DCs) and superintendents of police (SPs), he noted: "During the meeting, we emphasized that DCs and SPs must conduct the election impartially, ensuring fairness, beauty and peace. So far, I have not found any instances where our instructions were disregarded. If allegations are proven against anyone, they have not been spared."
Responding to queries about the influence of the party in power on the voting process, he assured: "The returning officers (DCs) will remain under our supervision, ensuring a fair and unbiased election process."
When asked about the participation of different political parties, especially the BNP, he expressed: "We encourage all parties, including the BNP, to participate in the elections. Our aim is to conduct fair elections, and we will continue to ensure fairness in the future."
