The Election Commission has reiterated its commitment to conducting the parliamentary elections by December, asserting that local elections are not currently under consideration.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud made this statement while speaking to journalists on Thursday (27 February) after inspecting the Dhamrai Upazila Election Office in Dhaka.
Prior to the media briefing, the upazila administration accorded him a guard of honour at the Upazila Parishad premises.
Masud emphasised that despite the ongoing process of electoral reforms at the local level, the government has issued no directives or requests to hold local elections.
He explained that organising local elections involves multiple phases and typically takes nearly a year to complete.
Conducting them now, he argued, would make it exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to hold the parliamentary elections by December or January.
"Our primary objective is to ensure the parliamentary elections take place as scheduled. We are actively working towards this goal by updating the voter list, which is set to be finalised by June. If the elections are to be held in December, we must announce the election schedule by October or November. Given these pressing deadlines, holding local elections at this moment is not feasible," he stated.
Addressing concerns regarding law and order, the election commissioner expressed optimism about improving security conditions.
"We are hopeful that the law and order situation will continue to improve. Discussions with local authorities here also suggest that the situation is stabilising," he said.
Following his visit to the upazila election office, Masud attended a debate competition at the Dhulivita Munnu Community Centre in Dhamrai Municipality as the chief guest.
Among those present at the event were Professor Dr Md Selim Mia, Principal of Dhamrai Government College, and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mamun Ahmed Anik, among others.
