DHAKA, Aug 29: Bangladesh’s Election Commission (EC) has deemed the national election scheduled for February 2021 as the most risky in the country’s electoral history, urging officials to prepare for unpredictable challenges amid political uncertainty and social unrest.
The commission unveiled a roadmap for the election, which has drawn mixed reactions from political parties.
Election Commissioner M Anwarul Islam Sarker emphasized that the upcoming election will be “undoubtedly be the most risky” in Bangladesh’s electoral history, and that the poll schedule would be announced at least 60 days before the voting date.
CEC Uddin stressed professionalism and neutrality, directing officials to prepare for potential threats to law and order and the spread of misinformation and disinformation through social media.
The upcoming polls will be the first since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August 2024, following the violent protest led by Students Against Discrimination (SAD).
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been heading the interim government as Chief Adviser, with the Awami League barred from contesting the election pending trials of Hasina and her colleagues on charges, including crimes against humanity.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and several left-leaning groups have welcomed the election roadmap, while Jamaat-e-Islami rejected it as a blueprint to undermine a free, fair election.
The newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) also expressed reservations against the planned polls under the existing system and scenario, describing the roadmap as a “breach of promise.” (PTI)