The Election Commission has decided to hold the fourth upazila parishad elections in three phases, the schedules for the first of which will be announced today, officials have said.
The first phase of the polls will be held from February 18-22, the second from March 18-25 and the third in mid-May.
The decision was made yesterday in an emergency meeting with the LGRD, Education and the Mass and pPimary Education Ministries. The Education Ministries were involved because the SSC and HSC examinations coincided with the planned election dates.
Today’s schedule announcement is likely to cover a total of 113 upazila parishads from 48 districts. The country has a total of 487 upazilas.
However, an EC official said the exact number of upazilas to be covered in the phase would be finalised in another meeting today.
The commission has reportedly sent letters to the regional and district election officers seeking lists of the polling centres by January 26. The letter stated that the centres used in the 10th parliamentary poll would be restored for the local body elections.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said yesterday: “It [yesterday’s meeting] was a preparatory meeting. We talked about the upazila polls and the SSC and HSC examinations with the ministries concerned. We are trying to hold the polls without disturbing the public examinations. We have to hold the polls because there are legal compulsions.”
The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations are scheduled for February 9 to March 22.
An EC official who was present in yesterday’s meeting said the secretary of the education ministry had suggested that the commission hold the first phase of the upazila polls from February 18-22.
EC officials also said the tenures of 221 upazila parishads in 59 districts would expire in March; 36 upazila parishads of 26 districts would lose validity in April and 86 of 35 districts would expire in May.
According to the laws, polls must be held within 180 days before the five-year tenures of these local bodies expire.
The validity period is determined by the date an upazila parishad holds its first meeting after election. On that count, an upazila parishad that held its first meeting in April, will expire in the same month five years later.
The first upazila parishad polls were held in 1985, the second in 1990 and the third on January 22, 2009.
