Election schedule by this week: EC secy

The Election Commission is all set to announce the schedule for the 11th parliamentary election by this week, Election Commission (EC) Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed said today.

The election commissioners will hold a meeting tomorrow to fix the date, the EC official told reporters at the commission’s office in Agargaon area of Dhaka this evening.

“We hope the schedule for the next general election will be announced by this week and the commission wants to hold the election by December,” Helal Uddin said.

Meanwhile, Jatiya Oikyafront leader Dr Kamal Hossain today submitted a letter to the EC urging it not to announce the schedule until end of the ongoing dialogue of different political alliances with the ruling quarter.

Earlier in the day, a meeting, with Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda in the chair, was held at the EC secretariat to discuss the security aspects ahead of announcing the election schedule.

Election Commissioners Mahbub Talukdar, Rafiqul Islam, Kabita Khanam and Shahdat Hossain and top officials of the constitutional body took part in the meeting.

Discussion on overall situation and securities of the EC office, its commissioners and law and order situation after the announcement of the schedule in the metropolitan areas discussed in the meeting, Helal Uddin said.