The government has declared public holidays on 11 and 12 February through an executive order. In addition, a special holiday has been announced on 10 February for workers and employees in industrial areas.
The move has been taken to facilitate voter participation in the 13th parliamentary election and referendum, scheduled to be held on 12 February.
A notification in this regard was issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on Sunday.
According to the gazette, the government has declared public holidays to facilitate the exercise of voting rights by officers and employees working in all government, semi-government, autonomous, and private offices, institutions, and organisations, as well as teachers, officers, and employees of government and private educational institutions, and to ensure the holding of the election.
The Council of Advisers on Thursday approved a proposal to declare 11 February a public holiday, in addition to the public holiday on the voting day, 12 February, to help voters participate and to ensure law and order management in an effective manner.
The approval was given at the Council’s weekly meeting held at the Chief Adviser’s Office, with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in the chair.
Shafikul Alam, press secretary to the chief adviser, said 10 February will apply only to industrial zone workers as a holiday.
He said the reason behind the decision was to allow voters currently residing in Dhaka, industrial towns, and other major cities to travel to their respective hometowns to cast their votes, as 11 February falls on the day before the election.
The decision is also expected to help authorities manage law and order more effectively during the election period, he added.
