Today is the final day for submitting nomination papers by candidates interested in contesting the 13th Parliamentary Election.
Nomination papers can be submitted until 5:00pm, and the deadline will not be extended, an Election Commissioner told The TIMES of Bangladesh.
Election Commission Public Relations Director Md Ruhul Amin Mallik said that as of 2:30pm on Monday, a total of 2,780 candidates had collected nomination papers from the country’s 300 constituencies. By the same time, only 31 nomination papers had been submitted.
Seeking cooperation to conduct the election and the referendum smoothly, separate DO letters, signed by Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, were issued on Saturday.
In a letter sent to the senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the commission said that to ensure the election is held in a free, fair and peaceful manner, a number of measures need to be implemented.
These include recovery of illegal arms in electoral areas, maintaining communal harmony and ensuring the safety of minorities, planning the deployment of law enforcement agencies, preparing advance budgets for such deployment, controlling illegal infiltrators and ensuring a level playing field in the election, securing the transportation and storage of postal ballots, preventing the spread of misinformation and disinformation, and providing clearance and security for foreign observers and journalists visiting Bangladesh.
In a separate letter to the cabinet secretary, the commission said that to ensure the smooth conduct of election-related activities,
all officials and employees engaged in the election and the referendum must perform their duties responsibly, diligently and impartially in accordance with election laws.
In a letter to the secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the commission said that the arrival of foreign observers and journalists from various international organisations and international media outlets is expected in connection with the election and sought the ministry’s overall cooperation in this regard.
In a letter to the secretary of the Local Government Division, the commission proposed issuing executive orders to assign special responsibilities to relevant institutions for the implementation of election laws and rules.
The commission also sought cooperation from the secretaries of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to carry out extensive publicity, campaigning and public awareness activities for the elections.
In a letter to the secretary of the Posts and Telecommunications Division, the commission requested the postal department to carry out its duties with careful coordination and strict confidentiality as postal voting arrangements have been made to ensure voting rights for Bangladeshi voters abroad, government officials in service, polling officials and prisoners in legal custody.
