The Election Commission (EC) has taken an initial decision to install two secret voting booths in every polling room to hold the 13th national election and the referendum on the implementation of the July Charter on the same day.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed shared the update on Sunday following an inter-ministerial meeting with 34 ministries and divisions at the commission’s headquarters.
He said the commission reviewed the mock voting exercise to assess how long each voter takes and whether the number of polling stations would need to be increased.
“Our preliminary assessment shows that installing two secret booths in each polling room would remove the need to increase the number of polling stations. However, a final decision will be taken after further review,” he said.
Asked whether there is any legal barrier to having two secret booths when each polling room normally has only one, the EC senior secretary said, “There is no legal obstacle to installing two secret booths.”
Akhtar Ahmed said the facilities and allowances for officials involved in election duties will be increased. “Those who perform election duties sometimes receive hospitality from local influential individuals. We have instructed that this must not happen under any circumstances. To prevent this, we are considering increasing their allowances and financial benefits,” he said.
Regarding overall law and order, he said the Ministry of Home Affairs informed the meeting that the situation remains stable. “They said there is no major problem at the moment. Isolated incidents do occur from time to time, but they are aware and alert,” he added.
The senior secretary said the meeting also discussed the referendum, expat voting, preventing the misuse of AI, and strengthening voter education campaigns.
He said a coordination point is being considered, involving the EC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, the Armed Forces Division, the Ministry of Public Administration, and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.
“If needed, the ICT Division or any other ministry may also be included,” he said.
He further said all ministries have been asked to instruct government officials and polling officers to register on the app and vote through postal ballots.
According to meeting sources, Bangladesh Bank has been asked to take necessary measures to ensure that loan defaulters cannot participate in the national election. The Ministry of Public Administration also stated that any official who becomes the subject of a complaint from the EC will face action.
