The Election Commission (EC) is holding hearings on the appeals of candidates whose nominations were rejected during scrutiny by returning officers ahead of the upcoming 13th parliamentary election.
Today is the last day of the appeals hearing. The commission will also announce its decision on whether candidates holding dual citizenship will be allowed to contest in the national election.
The hearings began in the auditorium of the EC office in Agargaon, Dhaka, around 10am and will continue until 5pm on Sunday. On this final day, hearings will be held for a total of 35 appeals, numbered 611 to 645. Pending applications from previous days will also be resolved.
Following the hearings, the commission will prepare to publish the final list of candidates. EC sources said most of the pending applications relate to dual citizenship, and no final decision has yet been made on those cases.
On Saturday, the eighth day of hearings, the EC heard 112 appeals. Of these, 45 were granted, 43 against nomination cancellations and two against acceptance of nominations. The commission rejected 37 appeals, including 13 against cancellations and 24 against acceptance. In addition, nine appeals were withdrawn, two appellants were absent, and 19 appeals were kept pending.
The deadline for withdrawal of candidacy is 20 January. On 21 January, returning officers will publish the final list of candidates and allocate election symbols. Campaigning will begin on 22 January and continue until 7:30am on 10 February. The voting will take place on Thursday, 12 February, from 7:30am to 4:30pm.
